CSTL vs DGX vs CAI Stock Comparison

Castle Biosciences, Quest Diagnostics and Caris Life Sciences Prices as of Oct 28, 2026 Peers: Industry group
CSTL Castle Biosciences Inc
$36.68 +2.1% 1M +51.9% 1Y
Market cap
$1.14B
P/E
–
Revenue (TTM)
$357.28M
Div. yield
–
Diagnostic Labs Healthcare
1 win
DGX Quest Diagnostics Inc
$245.73 +3.4% 1M +37.8% 1Y
Market cap
$27.55B
P/E
24.4x
Revenue (TTM)
$11.84B
Div. yield
0.01%
Diagnostic Labs Healthcare
5 wins
CAI Caris Life Sciences, Inc.
$35.45 +11.7% 1M +16.7% 1Y
Market cap
$10.13B
P/E
96.4x
Revenue (TTM)
$989.61M
Div. yield
–
Diagnostic Labs Healthcare
5 wins

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

Quest Diagnostics leads on 5 of the 12 questions below (Quest Diagnostics 5, Caris Life Sciences 5, Castle Biosciences 1). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionCSTLDGXCAILeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $1.14B $27.55B $10.13B DGX
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only -58.7x 24.4x 96.4x DGX
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS — 22.4x 322.3x DGX
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +3.2% +9.1% +85.4% CAI
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months -5.4% 9.5% 10.6% CAI
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital -6.7% 9.9% 15.6% CAI
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 15.5x 2.1x -2.2x CAI
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.01% 0.00% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +51.9% +37.8% +16.7% CSTL
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years -10.1%/yr +10.9%/yr — DGX
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 58.6% 23.7% 69.7% DGX
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 50/100 64/100 70/100 CAI

Percentile Scorecard

CSTLDGXCAI

Each axis is the mean percentile of its metrics against the company's industry group. 100 is the best in the group, 50 the middle.

Scores by Axis

AxisCSTLDGXCAI
Valuation 46 #50 of 92 70 #28 of 92 24 #70 of 92
Growth 51 #43 of 87 38 #54 of 87 99 #2 of 87
Profitability 39 #53 of 86 79 #19 of 86 91 #9 of 86
Financial Health 91 #10 of 97 55 #44 of 97 81 #19 of 97
Shareholder Returns 24 #42 of 55 76 #14 of 55 56 #25 of 55
Overall 50 64 70
  • CSTL ranked among 102 companies in Healthcare Providers
  • DGX ranked among 102 companies in Healthcare Providers
  • CAI ranked among 102 companies in Healthcare Providers

Price Performance

Price return, split-adjusted, before dividends. Click a name to hide or show it.

Returns

PeriodCSTLDGXCAISPY
1 month +2.1%+3.4%+11.7% +0.9%
3 months +50.0%+4.5%+127.4% +5.9%
6 months +51.3%+29.8%+99.5% +8.5%
Year to date -5.7%+41.6%+31.4% +13.3%
1 year +51.9%+37.8%+16.7% +12.4%
3 years +180.9%+92.5%— +88.1%
3 years, per year +41.1%+24.4%— +23.5%
5 years -41.2%+67.4%— +68.2%
5 years, per year -10.1%+10.9%— +11.0%
10 years —+205.5%— +263.4%
10 years, per year —+11.8%— +13.8%

Risk

MeasureCSTLDGXCAISPY
Volatility, 1Y 58.6%23.7%69.7% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 61.4%18.8%69.3% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.97-0.091.40 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.891.590.24 0.98
Max drawdown, 5Y -82.1%-30.3%-63.0% -25.4%
From 52-week high -14.8%-0.7%0.0% -0.9%
52-week high $43.04$247.47$35.45 $779.14
52-week low $18.15$173.49$14.55 $631.97

Valuation History

Weekly multiples on trailing twelve-month fundamentals. Negative or extreme readings (a loss year, a collapsed denominator) are left out so the chart stays readable.

MultipleCSTLDGXCAI
P/E now vs peer median -57.4xmedian 25.6x 23.9xmedian 25.6x 95.4xmedian 25.6x
P/S now vs peer median 3.1xmedian 1.6x 2.3xmedian 1.6x 10.1xmedian 1.6x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median -52.2xmedian 16.3x 13.8xmedian 16.3x 53.4xmedian 16.3x
P/FCF now vs peer median -2,288xmedian 21.3x 19.7xmedian 21.3x 80.8xmedian 21.3x
P/B now vs peer median 2.4xmedian 3.3x 3.4xmedian 3.3x 16.9xmedian 3.3x
PEG now vs peer median -1.36median 0.68 1.64median 0.68 —median 0.68

Financial History

Reported figures by fiscal period, placed on the calendar year (or quarter) each period ended in, so companies with different fiscal years line up.

Trailing twelve monthsCSTLDGXCAI
Revenue $357.28M $11.84B $989.61M
Gross profit $276.03M $3.92B $689.36M
Operating income -$32.11M $1.72B $153.26M
Net income -$19.42M $1.18B $105.14M
Free cash flow -$489.00K $1.38B $123.96M
R&D $55.45M – $117.14M
EPS (diluted) $-0.64 $10.08 $0.37
Cash & equivalents $62.12M $797.00M $690.92M
Total debt $10.08M $5.55B $393.15M
Shares (diluted) 30.40M 112.00M 282.89M
Enterprise value $23.71M $25.32B $6.96B

All Metrics

58 metrics · best in bold

Bold marks the best reading: the lowest positive value for multiples, leverage and payout, the highest for everything else. The bar under each value is its percentile against that company's own peers. Hover a value for its rank and the peer median.

Valuation

12 metrics
MetricCSTLDGXCAI
P/E -57.4x 23.9x 95.4x
P/FCF -2,288x 19.7x 80.8x
P/Operating cash flow 26.2x 13.9x 59.4x
P/S 3.1x 2.3x 10.1x
P/B 2.4x 3.4x 16.9x
P/Tangible book 2.4x 4.3x 16.9x
EV/EBITDA -52.2x 13.8x 53.4x
EV/EBIT -26.9x 18.4x 62.8x
EV/Revenue 2.4x 2.7x 9.7x
EV/FCF -1,763x 23.1x 77.6x
EV/Operating cash flow 20.2x 16.3x 57.1x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) -1.36 1.64 –

Growth

14 metrics
MetricCSTLDGXCAI
Revenue growth (1Y) 3.2% 9.1% 85.4%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 28.7% 8.4% –
Gross profit growth (1Y) -1.6% 8.5% 141.2%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 29.2% 8.4% –
Operating income growth (1Y) -39.3% 12.5% 188.2%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 30.8% 15.1% –
Net income growth (1Y) -105.1% 15.0% 137.7%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 39.8% 12.9% –
EPS growth (1Y) -99.3% 17.6% 103.0%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 42.3% 14.6% –
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) -31.8% 3.5% 227.3%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 45.1% 21.8% –
Free cash flow growth (1Y) -101.4% -1.3% 188.2%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 78.8% 32.1% –

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricCSTLDGXCAI
Gross margin 77.3% 33.1% 69.7%
EBITDA margin -4.6% 19.5% 18.2%
Operating margin -9.0% 14.6% 15.5%
Pretax margin -5.4% 12.6% 10.6%
Net margin -5.4% 9.5% 10.6%
FCF margin -0.1% 11.6% 12.5%
Operating cash flow margin 11.9% 16.5% 17.0%
Return on equity -4.2% 15.0% 17.7%
Return on assets -3.5% 6.9% 8.8%
Return on invested capital -6.7% 9.9% 15.6%
Return on capital employed -6.4% 11.3% 15.3%
Asset turnover 0.6x 0.7x 0.8x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) -2.2x 1.7x 1.6x
Stock comp / revenue 12.6% 0.7% 6.6%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricCSTLDGXCAI
Debt / assets 1.8% 32.2% 32.0%
Debt / equity 0.0x 0.7x 0.7x
Net debt / EBITDA 15.5x 2.1x -2.2x
Debt / FCF -20.6x 4.0x 3.2x
Liabilities / assets 16.2% 53.8% 51.9%
Equity / assets 83.8% 46.2% 48.1%
Interest coverage -85.6x 6.5x 3.3x
Current ratio 6.0x 1.7x 5.5x
Quick ratio 5.6x 1.4x 4.8x
Cash ratio 4.7x 0.4x 4.1x
Altman Z-score 7.82 3.72 8.58

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricCSTLDGXCAI
Dividend yield – 1.4% –
Net buyback yield -0.5% 1.2% 0.1%
Shareholder yield -0.5% 2.6% 0.1%
Payout ratio (earnings) – 31.3% –
Payout ratio (FCF) – 26.8% –
Dividend growth (1Y) – 6.3% –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – 6.1% –

Analyst Estimates

Solid lines are reported fiscal-year results; dashed lines are the consensus for the years ahead. Hover a year for the analysts' high and low, and how each result compared with its estimate.

ConsensusCSTLDGXCAI
Forward P/E – 22.4xFY2026 322.3xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $-1.31FY2026 $10.96FY2026 $0.11FY2026
EPS growth, next FY – +11.3%FY2026 –
EPS growth, the year after – +6.8% +236.4%
Revenue, next fiscal year $385.85MFY2026 $11.25BFY2026 $1.06BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +12.1%FY2026 +1.9%FY2026 +30.1%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +2.3% +7.7% +21.6%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersCSTLDGXCAI
Held by institutions 89.6% 94.4% 52.0%
Institutions holding 177 1,096 245
Change in shares held, QoQ -1.0% +2.7% -6.3%
Institutions buying 104 549 175
Institutions selling 55 341 47
Buyers to sellers 1.89 1.61 3.72

Return Correlation

Daily returns, last 12 months

1.00 means two stocks move in lockstep, 0 that they move independently. Pairs below about 0.5 diversify each other.

CSTLDGXCAI
CSTL 1.00 0.18 0.33
DGX 0.18 1.00 0.22
CAI 0.33 0.22 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

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Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, CSTL, DGX and CAI?

Quest Diagnostics (DGX) is the largest by market capitalisation: Castle Biosciences (CSTL) $1.14B, Quest Diagnostics (DGX) $27.55B, Caris Life Sciences (CAI) $10.13B.

Which stock is cheaper, CSTL, DGX and CAI?

Quest Diagnostics (DGX) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Castle Biosciences (CSTL) -58.7x, Quest Diagnostics (DGX) 24.4x, Caris Life Sciences (CAI) 96.4x). On next year's consensus earnings, Quest Diagnostics (DGX) is cheapest (Quest Diagnostics (DGX) 22.4x, Caris Life Sciences (CAI) 322.3x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Caris Life Sciences (CAI) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Castle Biosciences (CSTL) +3.2%, Quest Diagnostics (DGX) +9.1%, Caris Life Sciences (CAI) +85.4%.

Which company is more profitable?

Caris Life Sciences (CAI) has the highest net margin (Castle Biosciences (CSTL) -5.4%, Quest Diagnostics (DGX) 9.5%, Caris Life Sciences (CAI) 10.6%). On return on invested capital, Caris Life Sciences (CAI) leads (Castle Biosciences (CSTL) -6.7%, Quest Diagnostics (DGX) 9.9%, Caris Life Sciences (CAI) 15.6%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Castle Biosciences (CSTL) returned the most: Castle Biosciences (CSTL) +51.9%, Quest Diagnostics (DGX) +37.8%, Caris Life Sciences (CAI) +16.7%. Over five years, Quest Diagnostics (DGX) compounded fastest (Castle Biosciences (CSTL) -10.1%/yr, Quest Diagnostics (DGX) +10.9%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Only one of these companies pays a dividend: Castle Biosciences (CSTL) 0.00%, Quest Diagnostics (DGX) 0.01%, Caris Life Sciences (CAI) 0.00%. Castle Biosciences (CSTL) and Caris Life Sciences (CAI) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Quest Diagnostics (DGX) has been the steadiest (Castle Biosciences (CSTL) 58.6%, Quest Diagnostics (DGX) 23.7%, Caris Life Sciences (CAI) 69.7%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, CSTL, DGX and CAI?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Quest Diagnostics (DGX) leads on 5. Business Quant does not give investment advice; use the comparison as a starting point for your own research.

Data from SEC filings, exchange prices and consensus estimates, via Business Quant. Percentile scores compare each company with its own peer group, so two companies' scores are each relative to different peers unless you rank against the whole market. Price returns exclude dividends. Nothing on this page is investment advice.