ABT vs. DGX: Abbott Laboratories vs. Quest Diagnostics Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Abbott Laboratories (ABT) and Quest Diagnostics (DGX) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

Abbott Laboratories (ABT) and Quest Diagnostics (DGX) both fall under the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group, but ABT is classified in Health Care Equipment & Supplies while DGX is classified in Health Care Providers & Services.

Company profile comparison for Abbott Laboratories (ABT) and Quest Diagnostics (DGX)
Profile Item	ABT	DGX
Name	Abbott Laboratories	Quest Diagnostics Incorporated
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Health Care	Health Care
GICS Industry Group	Health Care Equipment & Services	Health Care Equipment & Services
GICS Industry	Health Care Equipment & Supplies	Health Care Providers & Services
GICS Sub-Industry	Health Care Equipment	Health Care Services
Market Capitalization	190.39 billion USD	28.21 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	March 17, 1980	December 17, 1996
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

ABT

DGX

GSPC

Abbott Laboratories (ABT) vs. Quest Diagnostics (DGX), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

Loading price history…

Trailing total returns for Abbott Laboratories (ABT) and Quest Diagnostics (DGX). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

Loading price history…

Calendar-year total returns for Abbott Laboratories (ABT) and Quest Diagnostics (DGX). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Abbott Laboratories (ABT) and Quest Diagnostics (DGX)
Metric	ABT	DGX
Total Return (1Y)	-10.78%	45.88%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	7.79%	27.45%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	-0.79%	14.84%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

ABT

DGX

GSPC

Abbott Laboratories (ABT) vs. Quest Diagnostics (DGX), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

Loading price history…

Distribution of monthly total returns for Abbott Laboratories (ABT) and Quest Diagnostics (DGX). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Abbott Laboratories (ABT) and Quest Diagnostics (DGX)
Metric	ABT	DGX
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	28.48%	24.06%
Beta (5Y)	0.53	0.54
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-39.64%	-28.62%
Avg. Volume (3M)	8.74M	1.00M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

ABT and DGX are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Abbott Laboratories (ABT) and Quest Diagnostics (DGX)
Metric	ABT	DGX
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	-0.53	1.73
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	-0.76	3.16

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Quest Diagnostics (DGX) at 15.32% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Abbott Laboratories (ABT) at 9.14% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for DGX.

ABT

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

9.14%

Max: 47.61%
Q3: 14.36%
ABT: 9.14%
Median: 5.45%
Q1: -10.67%
Min: -47.01%

DGX

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

15.32%

Max: 47.61%
DGX: 15.32%
Q3: 14.36%
Median: 5.45%
Q1: -10.67%
Min: -47.01%

Abbott Laboratories (ABT) vs. Quest Diagnostics (DGX): A comparison of their ROE against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

For every dollar of sales, both Abbott Laboratories (ABT) at 9.75% and Quest Diagnostics (DGX) at 9.54% retain more as net profit than most peers, landing in the top net margin quartile of their industries.

ABT

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

9.75%

Max: 29.35%
ABT: 9.75%
Q3: 9.33%
Median: 2.18%
Q1: -6.29%
Min: -28.46%

DGX

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

9.54%

Max: 29.35%
DGX: 9.54%
Q3: 9.33%
Median: 2.18%
Q1: -6.29%
Min: -28.46%

Abbott Laboratories (ABT) vs. Quest Diagnostics (DGX): A comparison of their net margin against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Quest Diagnostics (DGX) at 15.63% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of Abbott Laboratories (ABT) at 11.66%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

ABT

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

11.66%

Max: 35.43%
Q3: 14.14%
ABT: 11.66%
Median: 6.81%
Q1: -0.28%
Min: -16.29%

DGX

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

15.63%

Max: 35.43%
DGX: 15.63%
Q3: 14.14%
Median: 6.81%
Q1: -0.28%
Min: -16.29%

Abbott Laboratories (ABT) vs. Quest Diagnostics (DGX): A comparison of their operating margin against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Abbott Laboratories (ABT) and Quest Diagnostics (DGX)
Metric	ABT	DGX
ROE (TTM)	9.14%	15.32%
ROA (TTM)	4.90%	6.61%
Net Margin (TTM)	9.75%	9.54%
Operating Margin (TTM)	11.66%	15.63%
Gross Margin (TTM)	57.17%	33.18%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Abbott Laboratories (ABT) at 5.67% and Quest Diagnostics (DGX) at 11.78% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Abbott Laboratories (ABT) vs. Quest Diagnostics (DGX): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Quest Diagnostics (DGX) at 13.78% is around its peer norm for EPS growth, while Abbott Laboratories (ABT) at -51.31% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker earnings momentum.

Abbott Laboratories (ABT) vs. Quest Diagnostics (DGX): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Abbott Laboratories (ABT) and Quest Diagnostics (DGX)
Metric	ABT	DGX
Revenue Growth (YoY)	5.67%	11.78%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	0.51%	3.74%
EPS Growth (YoY)	-51.31%	13.78%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	-1.65%	3.16%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Abbott Laboratories (ABT) at 1.46 and Quest Diagnostics (DGX) at 1.70 carry current ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges, suggesting balanced short-term liquidity relative to peers.

ABT

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

1.46

Max: 7.59
Q3: 4.00
Median: 1.98
ABT: 1.46
Q1: 1.37
Min: 0.30

DGX

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

1.70

Max: 7.59
Q3: 4.00
Median: 1.98
DGX: 1.70
Q1: 1.37
Min: 0.30

Abbott Laboratories (ABT) vs. Quest Diagnostics (DGX): A comparison of their current ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Abbott Laboratories (ABT) at 0.61 and Quest Diagnostics (DGX) at 0.80 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

ABT

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.61

Max: 1.88
Q3: 0.91
ABT: 0.61
Median: 0.58
Q1: 0.16
Min: 0.00

DGX

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.80

Max: 1.88
Q3: 0.91
DGX: 0.80
Median: 0.58
Q1: 0.16
Min: 0.00

Abbott Laboratories (ABT) vs. Quest Diagnostics (DGX): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Abbott Laboratories (ABT) and Quest Diagnostics (DGX)
Metric	ABT	DGX
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.46	1.70
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.61	0.80
Net Debt / EBITDA	2.37	2.38

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Abbott Laboratories (ABT) at 2.22% and Quest Diagnostics (DGX) at 1.33% yield above their industries’ entire benchmark ranges — high enough that dividend safety, not income, becomes the first question.

ABT

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

2.22%

ABT: 2.22%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

DGX

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

1.33%

DGX: 1.33%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Abbott Laboratories (ABT) vs. Quest Diagnostics (DGX): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both Abbott Laboratories (ABT) at 92.54% and Quest Diagnostics (DGX) at 25.10% pay out more of their earnings than any of their industry peers — the thinnest cover in their groups, so dividend headroom deserves attention.

ABT

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

92.54%

ABT: 92.54%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

DGX

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

25.10%

DGX: 25.10%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Abbott Laboratories (ABT) vs. Quest Diagnostics (DGX): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Abbott Laboratories (ABT) and Quest Diagnostics (DGX)
Metric	ABT	DGX
Dividend Yield (TTM)	2.22%	1.33%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	92.54%	25.10%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Abbott Laboratories (ABT) at 41.02 and Quest Diagnostics (DGX) at 25.46 land around their industries’ usual P/E ratio levels — neither is getting a clear earnings-multiple discount or premium versus peers.

ABT

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

41.02

Max: 80.41
Q3: 47.62
ABT: 41.02
Median: 29.93
Q1: 21.19
Min: 4.21

DGX

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

25.46

Max: 80.41
Q3: 47.62
Median: 29.93
DGX: 25.46
Q1: 21.19
Min: 4.21

Abbott Laboratories (ABT) vs. Quest Diagnostics (DGX): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

On P/S ratio, both Abbott Laboratories (ABT) at 3.95 and Quest Diagnostics (DGX) at 2.38 are priced roughly in line with their industries — neither looks cheap nor rich on a sales basis.

ABT

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

3.95

Max: 8.80
Q3: 4.32
ABT: 3.95
Median: 2.13
Q1: 1.10
Min: 0.03

DGX

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

2.38

Max: 8.80
Q3: 4.32
DGX: 2.38
Median: 2.13
Q1: 1.10
Min: 0.03

Abbott Laboratories (ABT) vs. Quest Diagnostics (DGX): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

On P/B ratio, both Abbott Laboratories (ABT) at 3.73 and Quest Diagnostics (DGX) at 3.68 are valued close to their industries’ norm against book — neither stands out from peers.

ABT

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

3.73

Max: 11.68
Q3: 6.12
ABT: 3.73
Median: 3.00
Q1: 1.73
Min: -1.31

DGX

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

3.68

Max: 11.68
Q3: 6.12
DGX: 3.68
Median: 3.00
Q1: 1.73
Min: -1.31

Abbott Laboratories (ABT) vs. Quest Diagnostics (DGX): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Abbott Laboratories (ABT) and Quest Diagnostics (DGX)
Metric	ABT	DGX
P/E Ratio (TTM)	41.02	25.46
P/S Ratio (TTM)	3.95	2.38
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	3.73	3.68
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	3.19%	3.09%