The takeaway
Quest Diagnostics Incorporated shows a pronounced seasonal pattern over 10 years of data — strongest in April (+7.2%) and softest in February (−1.9%).
Right now
In July, the stock has risen 60% of years, averaging +1.8% — essentially in line with the S&P 500.
The full picture
Quest Diagnostics Incorporated's most dependable month has been April, higher in 8 of 10 years; February has been its least reliable, up just 30% of the time.
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Month by month
The stock's clearest edge over the S&P 500 lands in April (+5.5 pts); it has trailed the market most in February (−1.7 pts).
“vs S&P” is Quest Diagnostics Incorporated’s average for a month minus the S&P 500’s average for that same month — isolating Quest Diagnostics Incorporated’s own seasonal edge from broad market drift.
Reality check
Over the last 5 years, April has closed higher 60% of the time versus 80% across the last 10 years — the pattern is weakening.
Figures are the typical (median) April return and how often it rose — the last 5 years versus the last 10(the heatmap’s default window). This verdict stays anchored to that 10-year window even if you zoom the chart, so it never disagrees with the badges above.
In plain English
Dependability is the through-line here. April stands out, higher in 8 of 10 Aprils, but it heads a clutch of months that pull the year reliably upward.
The headline flatters a touch — its +7.2% average sits well above the +4.1% a typical year delivers, the work of a few big Aprils. That reliability comes with real swings, mind — even April ranges by 11.6% from year to year, so any single year can land far from the average. Crucially, the gain is the stock's own rather than a rising tide's: April has cleared the S&P 500 by +5.5 points above the index. That consistency sets it apart from the field, where the average stock manages April only about 55% of the time.
The strength clusters rather than stands alone — March–August forms a firm stretch that carries much of the year. On the other side of the ledger, February has been the soft spot — the weakest of 3 months that average a loss (−1.9%), and the edge isn't year-round — the stock has trailed the S&P 500 in February, December, and March. Its roughest month on record was a −28.4% March in 2020 — a reminder of how hard even a seasonal name can fall.
The pattern has softened of late, April's last five years slipping below its longer-run record.
The takeaway is less about when to buy than what to expect: April aside, the stock's months offer little reliable tilt.
Short answers on the stock's best month (April), its worst (February), and whether it really trades seasonally.
Yes, to a pronounced degree. Since 2016 its best month (April, +7.2%) has run well ahead of its worst (February, −1.9%) — the heatmap above shows how steady that gap has been year to year.
April has been the strongest, averaging +7.2% and closing higher in 8 of 10 years since 2016.
It's the weakest, averaging −1.9% — historically a soft spot, though it still varies from year to year.
Explore
These names have the strongest July track records on record — a starting point for comparison.
Before you trade