DGX vs CAI vs NTRA Stock Comparison

Quest Diagnostics, Caris Life Sciences and Natera Prices as of Oct 28, 2026 Peers: Industry group
DGX Quest Diagnostics Inc
$245.73 +3.4% 1M +37.8% 1Y
Market cap
$27.03B
P/E
23.9x
Revenue (TTM)
$11.84B
Div. yield
1.38%
Diagnostic Labs Healthcare
3 wins
CAI Caris Life Sciences, Inc.
$35.45 +11.7% 1M +16.7% 1Y
Market cap
$10.02B
P/E
95.4x
Revenue (TTM)
$989.61M
Div. yield
–
Diagnostic Labs Healthcare
5 wins
NTRA Natera, Inc.
$424.42 +3.1% 1M +123.9% 1Y
Market cap
$60.95B
P/E
–
Revenue (TTM)
$2.71B
Div. yield
–
Diagnostic Labs Healthcare
3 wins

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

Caris Life Sciences leads on 5 of the 12 questions below (Caris Life Sciences 5, Natera 3, Quest Diagnostics 3). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionDGXCAINTRALeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $27.03B $10.02B $60.95B NTRA
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 23.9x 95.4x -316.1x DGX
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 22.4x 322.3x — DGX
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +9.1% +85.4% +37.8% CAI
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 9.5% 10.6% -7.1% CAI
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 9.9% 15.6% -11.7% CAI
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 2.1x -2.2x 4.5x CAI
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 1.38% 0.00% — –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +37.8% +16.7% +123.9% NTRA
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +10.9%/yr — +30.0%/yr NTRA
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 23.7% 69.7% 47.9% DGX
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 64/100 70/100 51/100 CAI

Percentile Scorecard

DGXCAINTRA

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

AxisDGXCAINTRA
Valuation 70 #28 of 92 24 #70 of 92 17 #77 of 92
Growth 38 #54 of 87 99 #2 of 87 71 #26 of 87
Profitability 79 #19 of 86 91 #9 of 86 32 #59 of 86
Financial Health 55 #44 of 97 81 #19 of 97 85 #15 of 97
Shareholder Returns 76 #14 of 55 56 #25 of 55 48 #29 of 55
Overall 64 70 51
  • DGX ranked among 102 companies in Healthcare Providers
  • CAI ranked among 102 companies in Healthcare Providers
  • NTRA ranked among 102 companies in Healthcare Providers

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodDGXCAINTRASPY
1 month +3.4%+11.7%+3.1% +0.9%
3 months +4.5%+127.4%+67.2% +5.9%
6 months +29.8%+99.5%+117.9% +8.5%
Year to date +41.6%+31.4%+85.3% +13.3%
1 year +37.8%+16.7%+123.9% +12.4%
3 years +92.5%—+1,009.3% +88.1%
3 years, per year +24.4%—+123.1% +23.5%
5 years +67.4%—+270.4% +68.2%
5 years, per year +10.9%—+30.0% +11.0%
10 years +205.5%—+4,887.3% +263.4%
10 years, per year +11.8%—+47.8% +13.8%

Risk

MeasureDGXCAINTRASPY
Volatility, 1Y 23.7%69.7%47.9% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 18.8%69.3%44.6% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y -0.091.401.24 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 1.590.242.59 0.98
Max drawdown, 5Y -30.3%-63.0%-76.4% -25.4%
From 52-week high -0.7%0.0%-0.3% -0.9%
52-week high $247.47$35.45$425.64 $779.14
52-week low $173.49$14.55$182.65 $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.

MultipleDGXCAINTRA
P/E now vs peer median 23.9xmedian 25.6x 95.4xmedian 25.6x -316.1xmedian 25.6x
P/S now vs peer median 2.3xmedian 1.6x 10.1xmedian 1.6x 22.5xmedian 1.6x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 13.8xmedian 16.3x 53.4xmedian 16.3x -267.3xmedian 16.3x
P/FCF now vs peer median 19.7xmedian 21.3x 80.8xmedian 21.3x 723.9xmedian 21.3x
P/B now vs peer median 3.4xmedian 3.3x 16.9xmedian 3.3x 33.5xmedian 3.3x
PEG now vs peer median 1.64median 0.68 —median 0.68 -9.52median 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 monthsDGXCAINTRA
Revenue $11.84B $989.61M $2.71B
Gross profit $3.92B $689.36M $1.71B
Operating income $1.72B $153.26M -$289.67M
Net income $1.18B $105.14M -$192.36M
Free cash flow $1.38B $123.96M $84.20M
R&D – $117.14M $787.38M
EPS (diluted) $10.08 $0.37 $-1.34
Cash & equivalents $797.00M $690.92M $1.10B
Total debt $5.55B $393.15M $80.29M
Shares (diluted) 112.00M 282.89M 143.28M
Enterprise value $25.12B $6.84B $56.63B

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
MetricDGXCAINTRA
P/E 23.9x 95.4x -316.1x
P/FCF 19.7x 80.8x 723.9x
P/Operating cash flow 13.9x 59.4x 267.1x
P/S 2.3x 10.1x 22.5x
P/B 3.4x 16.9x 33.5x
P/Tangible book 4.3x 16.9x 41.7x
EV/EBITDA 13.8x 53.4x -267.3x
EV/EBIT 18.4x 62.8x -206.9x
EV/Revenue 2.7x 9.7x 22.1x
EV/FCF 23.1x 77.6x 711.8x
EV/Operating cash flow 16.3x 57.1x 262.6x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 1.64 – -9.52

Growth

14 metrics
MetricDGXCAINTRA
Revenue growth (1Y) 9.1% 85.4% 37.8%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 8.4% – 42.7%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 8.5% 141.2% 43.6%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 8.4% – 68.1%
Operating income growth (1Y) 12.5% 188.2% 1.3%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 15.1% – 17.3%
Net income growth (1Y) 15.0% 137.7% 24.0%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 12.9% – 27.8%
EPS growth (1Y) 17.6% 103.0% 27.7%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 14.6% – 33.2%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 3.5% 227.3% 22.2%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 21.8% – 38.6%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) -1.3% 188.2% -26.8%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 32.1% – 30.4%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricDGXCAINTRA
Gross margin 33.1% 69.7% 63.2%
EBITDA margin 19.5% 18.2% -8.3%
Operating margin 14.6% 15.5% -10.7%
Pretax margin 12.6% 10.6% -9.3%
Net margin 9.5% 10.6% -7.1%
FCF margin 11.6% 12.5% 3.1%
Operating cash flow margin 16.5% 17.0% 8.4%
Return on equity 15.0% 17.7% -10.7%
Return on assets 6.9% 8.8% -7.3%
Return on invested capital 9.9% 15.6% -11.7%
Return on capital employed 11.3% 15.3% -13.9%
Asset turnover 0.7x 0.8x 1.0x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.7x 1.6x -1.2x
Stock comp / revenue 0.7% 6.6% 14.1%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricDGXCAINTRA
Debt / assets 32.2% 32.0% 3.0%
Debt / equity 0.7x 0.7x 0.0x
Net debt / EBITDA 2.1x -2.2x 4.5x
Debt / FCF 4.0x 3.2x 1.0x
Liabilities / assets 53.8% 51.9% 31.5%
Equity / assets 46.2% 48.1% 68.5%
Interest coverage 6.5x 3.3x -75.9x
Current ratio 1.7x 5.5x 3.0x
Quick ratio 1.4x 4.8x 2.8x
Cash ratio 0.4x 4.1x 2.0x
Altman Z-score 3.72 8.58 43.36

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricDGXCAINTRA
Dividend yield 1.4% – –
Net buyback yield 1.2% 0.1% -0.1%
Shareholder yield 2.6% 0.1% -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.

ConsensusDGXCAINTRA
Forward P/E 22.4xFY2026 322.3xFY2026 –
EPS, next fiscal year $10.96FY2026 $0.11FY2026 $-1.48FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +11.3%FY2026 – –
EPS growth, the year after +6.8% +236.4% –
Revenue, next fiscal year $11.25BFY2026 $1.06BFY2026 $3.07BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +1.9%FY2026 +30.1%FY2026 +32.8%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +7.7% +21.6% +7.2%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersDGXCAINTRA
Held by institutions 94.4% 52.0% 95.5%
Institutions holding 1,096 245 847
Change in shares held, QoQ +2.7% -6.3% +2.7%
Institutions buying 549 175 513
Institutions selling 341 47 240
Buyers to sellers 1.61 3.72 2.14

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.

DGXCAINTRA
DGX 1.00 0.22 0.20
CAI 0.22 1.00 0.55
NTRA 0.20 0.55 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

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Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, DGX, CAI and NTRA?

Natera (NTRA) is the largest by market capitalisation: Quest Diagnostics (DGX) $27.03B, Caris Life Sciences (CAI) $10.02B, Natera (NTRA) $60.95B.

Which stock is cheaper, DGX, CAI and NTRA?

Quest Diagnostics (DGX) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Quest Diagnostics (DGX) 23.9x, Caris Life Sciences (CAI) 95.4x, Natera (NTRA) -316.1x). 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: Quest Diagnostics (DGX) +9.1%, Caris Life Sciences (CAI) +85.4%, Natera (NTRA) +37.8%.

Which company is more profitable?

Caris Life Sciences (CAI) has the highest net margin (Quest Diagnostics (DGX) 9.5%, Caris Life Sciences (CAI) 10.6%, Natera (NTRA) -7.1%). On return on invested capital, Caris Life Sciences (CAI) leads (Quest Diagnostics (DGX) 9.9%, Caris Life Sciences (CAI) 15.6%, Natera (NTRA) -11.7%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Natera (NTRA) returned the most: Quest Diagnostics (DGX) +37.8%, Caris Life Sciences (CAI) +16.7%, Natera (NTRA) +123.9%. Over five years, Natera (NTRA) compounded fastest (Quest Diagnostics (DGX) +10.9%/yr, Natera (NTRA) +30.0%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Only one of these companies pays a dividend: Quest Diagnostics (DGX) 1.38%, Caris Life Sciences (CAI) 0.00%. Caris Life Sciences (CAI) and Natera (NTRA) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Quest Diagnostics (DGX) has been the steadiest (Quest Diagnostics (DGX) 23.7%, Caris Life Sciences (CAI) 69.7%, Natera (NTRA) 47.9%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

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

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Caris Life Sciences (CAI) 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.