DGX vs GH vs CAI Stock Comparison

Quest Diagnostics, Guardant Health and Caris Life Sciences Prices as of Oct 23, 2026 Peers: Industry group
DGX Quest Diagnostics Inc
$241.90 +3.8% 1M +32.0% 1Y
Market cap
$26.69B
P/E
23.6x
Revenue (TTM)
$11.84B
Div. yield
0.01%
Diagnostic Labs Healthcare
5 wins
GH Guardant Health, Inc.
$169.08 -4.1% 1M +143.8% 1Y
Market cap
$23.05B
P/E
–
Revenue (TTM)
$1.18B
Div. yield
–
Diagnostic Labs Healthcare
1 win

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

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

QuestionDGXGHCAILeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $26.69B $23.05B $9.19B DGX
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 23.6x -50.8x 87.4x DGX
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 22.3x — 290.9x DGX
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +9.1% +42.7% +85.4% CAI
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 9.5% -38.3% 10.6% CAI
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 9.9% — 15.6% CAI
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 2.1x — -2.2x CAI
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.01% 0.00% 0.00% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +32.0% +143.8% +1.1% GH
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +10.6%/yr +9.1%/yr — DGX
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 23.8% 57.4% 69.5% DGX
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 64/100 27/100 69/100 CAI

Percentile Scorecard

DGXGHCAI

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

AxisDGXGHCAI
Valuation 72 #27 of 93 17 #77 of 93 23 #72 of 93
Growth 40 #53 of 88 48 #46 of 88 99 #2 of 88
Profitability 77 #21 of 87 7 #81 of 87 87 #12 of 87
Financial Health 56 #45 of 100 50 #51 of 100 82 #19 of 100
Shareholder Returns 76 #14 of 56 15 #48 of 56 53 #27 of 56
Overall 64 27 69
  • DGX ranked among 103 companies in Healthcare Providers
  • GH ranked among 103 companies in Healthcare Providers
  • CAI ranked among 103 companies in Healthcare Providers

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodDGXGHCAISPY
1 month +3.8%-4.1%+1.1% -1.0%
3 months +6.1%+14.8%+106.2% +2.9%
6 months +23.2%+90.2%+58.4% +6.4%
Year to date +39.4%+65.5%+18.6% +11.4%
1 year +32.0%+143.8%+1.1% +13.1%
3 years +95.7%+541.9%— +79.4%
3 years, per year +25.1%+85.9%— +21.5%
5 years +65.1%+54.6%— +67.7%
5 years, per year +10.6%+9.1%— +10.9%
10 years +189.0%—— +255.2%
10 years, per year +11.2%—— +13.5%

Risk

MeasureDGXGHCAISPY
Volatility, 1Y 23.8%57.4%69.5% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 18.8%48.6%68.9% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y -0.101.011.34 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 1.352.500.02 1.03
Max drawdown, 5Y -30.3%-86.7%-63.0% -25.4%
From 52-week high -2.3%-9.7%-1.1% -2.5%
52-week high $247.47$187.22$32.35 $779.14
52-week low $173.49$69.35$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.

MultipleDGXGHCAI
P/E now vs peer median 23.6xmedian 25.3x -49.5xmedian 25.3x 86.1xmedian 25.3x
P/S now vs peer median 2.2xmedian 1.6x 19.1xmedian 1.6x 9.1xmedian 1.6x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 13.6xmedian 14.6x -49.9xmedian 14.6x 48.0xmedian 14.6x
P/FCF now vs peer median 19.4xmedian 22.7x -93.8xmedian 22.7x 73.0xmedian 22.7x
P/B now vs peer median 3.3xmedian 3.3x -101.4xmedian 3.3x 15.3xmedian 3.3x
PEG now vs peer median 1.61median 0.66 -4.99median 0.66 —median 0.66

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 monthsDGXGHCAI
Revenue $11.84B $1.18B $989.61M
Gross profit $3.92B $769.16M $689.36M
Operating income $1.72B -$470.26M $153.26M
Net income $1.18B -$453.44M $105.14M
Free cash flow $1.38B -$240.72M $123.96M
R&D – $375.79M $117.14M
EPS (diluted) $10.08 $-3.41 $0.37
Cash & equivalents $797.00M $1.05B $690.92M
Total debt $5.55B – $393.15M
Shares (diluted) 112.00M 132.87M 282.89M
Enterprise value $24.45B $19.11B $6.01B

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
MetricDGXGHCAI
P/E 23.6x -49.5x 86.1x
P/FCF 19.4x -93.8x 73.0x
P/Operating cash flow 13.6x -122.0x 53.6x
P/S 2.2x 19.1x 9.1x
P/B 3.3x -101.4x 15.3x
P/Tangible book 4.2x -91.0x 15.3x
EV/EBITDA 13.6x -49.9x 48.0x
EV/EBIT 18.2x -45.8x 56.4x
EV/Revenue 2.6x 18.2x 8.7x
EV/FCF 22.8x -89.5x 69.7x
EV/Operating cash flow 16.1x -116.3x 51.3x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 1.61 -4.99 –

Growth

14 metrics
MetricDGXGHCAI
Revenue growth (1Y) 9.1% 42.7% 85.4%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 8.4% 32.4% –
Gross profit growth (1Y) 8.5% 47.7% 141.2%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 8.4% – –
Operating income growth (1Y) 12.5% -2.1% 188.2%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 15.1% 4.8% –
Net income growth (1Y) 15.0% -9.6% 137.7%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 12.9% 3.7% –
EPS growth (1Y) 17.6% -2.4% 103.0%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 14.6% 9.9% –
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 3.5% 22.4% 227.3%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 21.8% 18.1% –
Free cash flow growth (1Y) -1.3% 11.4% 188.2%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 32.1% 14.4% –

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricDGXGHCAI
Gross margin 33.1% 65.0% 69.7%
EBITDA margin 19.5% -36.5% 18.2%
Operating margin 14.6% -39.7% 15.5%
Pretax margin 12.6% -38.4% 10.6%
Net margin 9.5% -38.3% 10.6%
FCF margin 11.6% -20.3% 12.5%
Operating cash flow margin 16.5% -15.7% 17.0%
Return on equity 15.0% – 17.7%
Return on assets 6.9% -23.7% 8.8%
Return on invested capital 9.9% – 15.6%
Return on capital employed 11.3% -29.9% 15.3%
Asset turnover 0.7x 0.6x 0.8x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.7x 0.4x 1.6x
Stock comp / revenue 0.7% 16.2% 6.6%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricDGXGHCAI
Debt / assets 32.2% – 32.0%
Debt / equity 0.7x – 0.7x
Net debt / EBITDA 2.1x – -2.2x
Debt / FCF 4.0x – 3.2x
Liabilities / assets 53.8% 111.7% 51.9%
Equity / assets 46.2% -11.7% 48.1%
Interest coverage 6.5x -97.6x 3.3x
Current ratio 1.7x 4.0x 5.5x
Quick ratio 1.4x 3.5x 4.8x
Cash ratio 0.4x 3.1x 4.1x
Altman Z-score 3.69 4.44 7.66

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricDGXGHCAI
Dividend yield 1.4% – –
Net buyback yield 1.2% -1.8% 0.1%
Shareholder yield 2.6% -1.8% 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.

ConsensusDGXGHCAI
Forward P/E 22.3xFY2026 – 290.9xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $10.86FY2026 $-3.34FY2026 $0.11FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +10.3%FY2026 – –
EPS growth, the year after +8.3% – +236.4%
Revenue, next fiscal year $11.19BFY2026 $1.42BFY2026 $1.06BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +1.3%FY2026 +44.5%FY2026 +30.1%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +7.8% +27.0% +21.6%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersDGXGHCAI
Held by institutions 94.4% 100.0% 52.0%
Institutions holding 1,096 594 245
Change in shares held, QoQ +2.7% -2.6% -6.3%
Institutions buying 549 353 175
Institutions selling 341 180 47
Buyers to sellers 1.61 1.96 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.

DGXGHCAI
DGX 1.00 0.21 0.22
GH 0.21 1.00 0.41
CAI 0.22 0.41 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, DGX, GH and CAI?

Quest Diagnostics (DGX) is the largest by market capitalisation: Quest Diagnostics (DGX) $26.69B, Guardant Health (GH) $23.05B, Caris Life Sciences (CAI) $9.19B.

Which stock is cheaper, DGX, GH and CAI?

Quest Diagnostics (DGX) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Quest Diagnostics (DGX) 23.6x, Guardant Health (GH) -50.8x, Caris Life Sciences (CAI) 87.4x). On next year's consensus earnings, Quest Diagnostics (DGX) is cheapest (Quest Diagnostics (DGX) 22.3x, Caris Life Sciences (CAI) 290.9x). 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%, Guardant Health (GH) +42.7%, Caris Life Sciences (CAI) +85.4%.

Which company is more profitable?

Caris Life Sciences (CAI) has the highest net margin (Quest Diagnostics (DGX) 9.5%, Guardant Health (GH) -38.3%, Caris Life Sciences (CAI) 10.6%). On return on invested capital, Caris Life Sciences (CAI) leads (Quest Diagnostics (DGX) 9.9%, Caris Life Sciences (CAI) 15.6%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Guardant Health (GH) returned the most: Quest Diagnostics (DGX) +32.0%, Guardant Health (GH) +143.8%, Caris Life Sciences (CAI) +1.1%. Over five years, Quest Diagnostics (DGX) compounded fastest (Quest Diagnostics (DGX) +10.6%/yr, Guardant Health (GH) +9.1%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Only one of these companies pays a dividend: Quest Diagnostics (DGX) 0.01%, Guardant Health (GH) 0.00%, Caris Life Sciences (CAI) 0.00%. Guardant Health (GH) 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 (Quest Diagnostics (DGX) 23.8%, Guardant Health (GH) 57.4%, Caris Life Sciences (CAI) 69.5%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, DGX, GH 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.