SHC vs DGX vs LH Stock Comparison

Sotera Health, Quest Diagnostics and Labcorp Holdings Prices as of Nov 3, 2026 Peers: Industry group
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SHC Sotera Health Co
$16.03 -12.0% 1M -3.5% 1Y
Market cap
$4.67B
P/E
26.9x
Revenue (TTM)
$1.23B
Div. yield
–
Diagnostic Labs Healthcare
2 wins
DGX Quest Diagnostics Inc
$247.00 +5.9% 1M +38.1% 1Y
Market cap
$28.08B
P/E
24.9x
Revenue (TTM)
$11.84B
Div. yield
0.01%
Diagnostic Labs Healthcare
8 wins
LH Labcorp Holdings Inc.
$353.95 +14.7% 1M +37.3% 1Y
Market cap
$30.03B
P/E
29.9x
Revenue (TTM)
$14.59B
Div. yield
–
Diagnostic Labs Healthcare
1 win

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

Quest Diagnostics leads on 8 of the 12 questions below (Quest Diagnostics 8, Sotera Health 2, Labcorp Holdings 1). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionSHCDGXLHLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $4.67B $28.08B $30.03B LH
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 26.9x 24.9x 29.9x DGX
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 17.4x 22.5x 20.7x SHC
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +6.9% +9.1% +6.0% DGX
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 14.1% 9.5% 6.9% SHC
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 9.2% 9.9% 8.5% DGX
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 3.1x 2.1x 2.5x DGX
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.01% 0.00% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months -3.5% +38.1% +37.3% DGX
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years -9.7%/yr +11.4%/yr +7.7%/yr DGX
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 30.4% 23.8% 24.4% DGX
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 61/100 64/100 56/100 DGX

Percentile Scorecard

SHCDGXLH

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

AxisSHCDGXLH
Valuation 54 #44 of 95 70 #29 of 95 61 #38 of 95
Growth 69 #28 of 88 36 #57 of 88 31 #61 of 88
Profitability 86 #13 of 87 80 #18 of 87 71 #26 of 87
Financial Health 34 #66 of 100 54 #47 of 100 44 #56 of 100
Shareholder Returns – 79 #13 of 58 74 #16 of 58
Overall 61 64 56
  • SHC ranked among 102 companies in Healthcare Providers
  • DGX ranked among 102 companies in Healthcare Providers
  • LH ranked among 102 companies in Healthcare Providers

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodSHCDGXLHSPY
1 month -12.0%+5.9%+14.7% -2.0%
3 months -11.5%+5.6%+13.3% -2.2%
6 months +4.6%+29.4%+37.6% +4.2%
Year to date -9.1%+42.3%+41.1% +10.6%
1 year -3.5%+38.1%+37.3% +10.4%
3 years +21.3%+84.5%+68.4% +73.6%
3 years, per year +6.7%+22.7%+19.0% +20.2%
5 years -39.8%+71.8%+44.9% +61.6%
5 years, per year -9.7%+11.4%+7.7% +10.1%
10 years —+203.8%+238.7% +261.3%
10 years, per year —+11.8%+13.0% +13.7%

Risk

MeasureSHCDGXLHSPY
Volatility, 1Y 30.4%23.8%24.4% 12.8%
Downside volatility, 1Y 31.1%18.6%21.8% 12.8%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 1.02-0.080.39 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y -0.111.601.53 0.81
Max drawdown, 5Y -78.2%-30.3%-35.0% -25.4%
From 52-week high -18.1%-2.4%-3.9% -3.2%
52-week high $19.57$253.03$368.15 $779.14
52-week low $13.13$173.49$246.64 $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.

MultipleSHCDGXLH
P/E now vs peer median 26.4xmedian 24.9x 24.1xmedian 24.9x 28.8xmedian 24.9x
P/S now vs peer median 3.7xmedian 1.6x 2.3xmedian 1.6x 2.0xmedian 1.6x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 11.5xmedian 15.2x 13.8xmedian 15.2x 15.5xmedian 15.2x
P/FCF now vs peer median 33.8xmedian 20.7x 19.8xmedian 20.7x 22.3xmedian 20.7x
P/B now vs peer median 6.2xmedian 3.2x 3.4xmedian 3.2x 3.2xmedian 3.2x
PEG now vs peer median 0.72median 0.72 1.65median 0.72 1.67median 0.72

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 monthsSHCDGXLH
Revenue $1.23B $11.84B $14.59B
Gross profit $671.74M $3.92B $4.23B
Operating income $413.72M $1.72B $1.50B
Net income $173.47M $1.18B $1.00B
Free cash flow $135.43M $1.38B $1.29B
EPS (diluted) $0.60 $10.08 $12.24
Cash & equivalents $412.38M $797.00M $261.80M
Total debt $2.14B $5.55B $5.85B
Shares (diluted) 289.22M 112.00M 82.00M
Enterprise value $3.24B $25.84B $28.12B

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
MetricSHCDGXLH
P/E 26.4x 24.1x 28.8x
P/FCF 33.8x 19.8x 22.3x
P/Operating cash flow 13.8x 13.9x 15.8x
P/S 3.7x 2.3x 2.0x
P/B 6.2x 3.4x 3.2x
P/Tangible book 9.8x 4.3x 5.6x
EV/EBITDA 11.5x 13.8x 15.5x
EV/EBIT 15.2x 18.5x 22.9x
EV/Revenue 5.1x 2.7x 2.4x
EV/FCF 46.5x 23.2x 26.7x
EV/Operating cash flow 19.0x 16.4x 18.9x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 0.72 1.65 1.67

Growth

14 metrics
MetricSHCDGXLH
Revenue growth (1Y) 6.9% 9.1% 6.0%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 7.5% 8.4% 6.6%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 4.3% 8.5% 8.0%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 7.6% 8.4% 8.2%
Operating income growth (1Y) 11.4% 12.5% 12.6%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 21.1% 15.1% 19.7%
Net income growth (1Y) 213.0% 15.0% 17.4%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 36.9% 12.9% 14.9%
EPS growth (1Y) 210.3% 17.6% 19.8%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 36.6% 14.6% 17.2%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 38.3% 3.5% 0.6%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 59.9% 21.8% 9.0%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 56.4% -1.3% -6.8%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 33.1% 32.1% 8.2%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricSHCDGXLH
Gross margin 54.6% 33.1% 29.0%
EBITDA margin 44.7% 19.5% 15.1%
Operating margin 33.6% 14.6% 10.3%
Pretax margin 22.4% 12.6% 8.4%
Net margin 14.1% 9.5% 6.9%
FCF margin 11.0% 11.6% 8.8%
Operating cash flow margin 27.0% 16.5% 12.4%
Return on equity 24.8% 15.0% 11.5%
Return on assets 5.2% 6.9% 5.4%
Return on invested capital 9.2% 9.9% 8.5%
Return on capital employed 13.2% 11.3% 9.4%
Asset turnover 0.4x 0.7x 0.8x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.9x 1.7x 1.8x
Stock comp / revenue 3.0% 0.7% 0.9%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricSHCDGXLH
Debt / assets 63.1% 32.2% 30.9%
Debt / equity 2.9x 0.7x 0.7x
Net debt / EBITDA 3.1x 2.1x 2.5x
Debt / FCF 15.8x 4.0x 4.5x
Liabilities / assets 78.4% 53.8% 53.2%
Equity / assets 21.6% 46.2% 46.8%
Interest coverage – 6.5x 6.5x
Current ratio 3.1x 1.7x 1.4x
Quick ratio 2.7x 1.4x 1.0x
Cash ratio 1.8x 0.4x 0.1x
Altman Z-score 1.81 3.73 3.48

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricSHCDGXLH
Dividend yield – 1.4% 0.8%
Net buyback yield – 1.2% 2.1%
Shareholder yield – 2.6% 2.9%
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.

ConsensusSHCDGXLH
Forward P/E 17.4xFY2026 22.5xFY2026 20.7xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $0.92FY2026 $10.96FY2026 $17.07FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +7.0%FY2026 +11.3%FY2026 +3.8%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +21.7% +6.8% +9.3%
Revenue, next fiscal year $1.33BFY2026 $11.25BFY2026 $14.31BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +14.8%FY2026 +1.9%FY2026 +2.6%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after -4.2% +7.7% +11.9%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersSHCDGXLH
Held by institutions 100.0% 94.4% 97.0%
Institutions holding 316 1,098 1,053
Change in shares held, QoQ +5.9% +2.7% +1.6%
Institutions buying 220 550 466
Institutions selling 64 342 393
Buyers to sellers 3.44 1.61 1.19

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.

SHCDGXLH
SHC 1.00 0.25 0.39
DGX 0.25 1.00 0.72
LH 0.39 0.72 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

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Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, SHC, DGX and LH?

Labcorp Holdings (LH) is the largest by market capitalisation: Sotera Health (SHC) $4.67B, Quest Diagnostics (DGX) $28.08B, Labcorp Holdings (LH) $30.03B.

Which stock is cheaper, SHC, DGX and LH?

Quest Diagnostics (DGX) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Sotera Health (SHC) 26.9x, Quest Diagnostics (DGX) 24.9x, Labcorp Holdings (LH) 29.9x). On next year's consensus earnings, Sotera Health (SHC) is cheapest (Sotera Health (SHC) 17.4x, Quest Diagnostics (DGX) 22.5x, Labcorp Holdings (LH) 20.7x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Quest Diagnostics (DGX) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Sotera Health (SHC) +6.9%, Quest Diagnostics (DGX) +9.1%, Labcorp Holdings (LH) +6.0%.

Which company is more profitable?

Sotera Health (SHC) has the highest net margin (Sotera Health (SHC) 14.1%, Quest Diagnostics (DGX) 9.5%, Labcorp Holdings (LH) 6.9%). On return on invested capital, Quest Diagnostics (DGX) leads (Sotera Health (SHC) 9.2%, Quest Diagnostics (DGX) 9.9%, Labcorp Holdings (LH) 8.5%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Quest Diagnostics (DGX) returned the most: Sotera Health (SHC) -3.5%, Quest Diagnostics (DGX) +38.1%, Labcorp Holdings (LH) +37.3%. Over five years, Quest Diagnostics (DGX) compounded fastest (Sotera Health (SHC) -9.7%/yr, Quest Diagnostics (DGX) +11.4%/yr, Labcorp Holdings (LH) +7.7%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Only one of these companies pays a dividend: Sotera Health (SHC) 0.00%, Quest Diagnostics (DGX) 0.01%, Labcorp Holdings (LH) 0.00%. Sotera Health (SHC) and Labcorp Holdings (LH) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Quest Diagnostics (DGX) has been the steadiest (Sotera Health (SHC) 30.4%, Quest Diagnostics (DGX) 23.8%, Labcorp Holdings (LH) 24.4%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, SHC, DGX and LH?

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 8. 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.