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CAH vs. DGX: Cardinal Health vs. Quest Diagnostics Stock Comparison

How do Cardinal Health (CAH) 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

Cardinal Health (CAH) and Quest Diagnostics (DGX) both belong to the Health Care Providers & Services industry, though CAH is classified under Health Care Distributors while DGX falls under Health Care Services.

Company profile comparison for Cardinal Health (CAH) and Quest Diagnostics (DGX)
Profile ItemCAHDGX
NameCardinal Health, Inc.Quest Diagnostics Incorporated
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorHealth CareHealth Care
GICS Industry GroupHealth Care Equipment & ServicesHealth Care Equipment & Services
GICS IndustryHealth Care Providers & ServicesHealth Care Providers & Services
GICS Sub-IndustryHealth Care DistributorsHealth Care Services
Market Capitalization62.80 billion USD28.21 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENYSE
Listing DateAugust 4, 1983December 17, 1996
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

CAH
DGX
GSPC
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Cardinal Health (CAH) 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

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Trailing total returns for Cardinal Health (CAH) and Quest Diagnostics (DGX). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Cardinal Health (CAH) and Quest Diagnostics (DGX)
MetricCAHDGX
Total Return (1Y)35.44%45.88%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)40.52%27.45%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)43.73%14.84%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

CAH
DGX
GSPC
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Cardinal Health (CAH) 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

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

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Cardinal Health (CAH) and Quest Diagnostics (DGX)
MetricCAHDGX
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)25.91%24.06%
Beta (5Y)0.490.54
Max Drawdown (5Y)-20.95%-28.62%
Avg. Volume (3M)1.77M1.00M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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CAH 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 Cardinal Health (CAH) and Quest Diagnostics (DGX)
MetricCAHDGX
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)1.201.73
Sortino Ratio (1Y)1.903.16

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Capital efficiency shows on one side only: Quest Diagnostics (DGX) earns 15.32% on shareholders’ equity, ranked against its industry; Cardinal Health (CAH) has no ROE this period.

CAH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

--

Max
47.61%
Q3
14.36%
Median
5.45%
Q1
-10.67%
Min
-47.01%
CAH
--

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%
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Cardinal Health (CAH) vs. Quest Diagnostics (DGX): CAH does not report ROE, so it has no value marker; DGX is benchmarked against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group.

Net Margin (TTM)

Quest Diagnostics (DGX) at 9.54% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of Cardinal Health (CAH) at 0.71%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

CAH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.71%

Max
29.35%
Q3
9.33%
Median
2.18%
CAH
0.71%
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%
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Cardinal Health (CAH) 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 Cardinal Health (CAH) at 1.34%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

CAH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

1.34%

Max
35.43%
Q3
14.14%
Median
6.81%
CAH
1.34%
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%
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Cardinal Health (CAH) vs. Quest Diagnostics (DGX): A comparison of their operating margin against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Cardinal Health (CAH) and Quest Diagnostics (DGX)
MetricCAHDGX
ROE (TTM)--15.32%
ROA (TTM)3.72%6.61%
Net Margin (TTM)0.71%9.54%
Operating Margin (TTM)1.34%15.63%
Gross Margin (TTM)3.90%33.18%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Cardinal Health (CAH) at 14.23% 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.

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Cardinal Health (CAH) vs. Quest Diagnostics (DGX): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both Cardinal Health (CAH) at 12.09% and Quest Diagnostics (DGX) at 13.78% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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Cardinal Health (CAH) vs. Quest Diagnostics (DGX): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Cardinal Health (CAH) and Quest Diagnostics (DGX)
MetricCAHDGX
Revenue Growth (YoY)14.23%11.78%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)7.44%3.74%
EPS Growth (YoY)12.09%13.78%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)93.37%3.16%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Quest Diagnostics (DGX) at 1.70 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Cardinal Health (CAH) at 0.89 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for CAH.

CAH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.89

Max
7.59
Q3
4.00
Median
1.98
Q1
1.37
CAH
0.89
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
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Cardinal Health (CAH) vs. Quest Diagnostics (DGX): A comparison of their current ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Only one side’s leverage can be read here: Quest Diagnostics (DGX) carries debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80 against its industry range, while Cardinal Health (CAH) reports no figure this period.

CAH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

--

Max
1.88
Q3
0.91
Median
0.58
Q1
0.16
Min
0.00
CAH
--

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
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Cardinal Health (CAH) vs. Quest Diagnostics (DGX): CAH does not report debt-to-equity ratio, so it has no value marker; DGX is benchmarked against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Cardinal Health (CAH) and Quest Diagnostics (DGX)
MetricCAHDGX
Current Ratio (MRQ)0.891.70
Debt / Equity (MRQ)--0.80
Net Debt / EBITDA0.812.38

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Cardinal Health (CAH) at 0.77% 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.

CAH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.77%

CAH
0.77%
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%
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Cardinal Health (CAH) vs. Quest Diagnostics (DGX): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both Cardinal Health (CAH) at 26.56% 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.

CAH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

26.56%

CAH
26.56%
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%
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Cardinal Health (CAH) vs. Quest Diagnostics (DGX): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Cardinal Health (CAH) and Quest Diagnostics (DGX)
MetricCAHDGX
Dividend Yield (TTM)0.77%1.33%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)26.56%25.10%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Cardinal Health (CAH) at 35.15 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.

CAH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

35.15

Max
80.41
Q3
47.62
CAH
35.15
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
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Cardinal Health (CAH) vs. Quest Diagnostics (DGX): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Cardinal Health (CAH) at 0.24 sits in the cheaper P/S ratio quartile while Quest Diagnostics (DGX) at 2.38 prices around its industry’s middle — CAH costs less per dollar of sales, though read it alongside growth and margins.

CAH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.24

Max
8.80
Q3
4.32
Median
2.13
Q1
1.10
CAH
0.24
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
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Cardinal Health (CAH) vs. Quest Diagnostics (DGX): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Cardinal Health (CAH) reports a negative P/B ratio of -20.84, meaning negative book equity — the multiple itself is not meaningful for valuation. Meanwhile Quest Diagnostics (DGX) reports 3.68, ranking against industry peers normally.

CAH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

-20.84

Max
11.68
Q3
6.12
Median
3.00
Q1
1.73
Min
-1.31
CAH
-20.84

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
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Cardinal Health (CAH) 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 Cardinal Health (CAH) and Quest Diagnostics (DGX)
MetricCAHDGX
P/E Ratio (TTM)35.1525.46
P/S Ratio (TTM)0.242.38
P/B Ratio (MRQ)-20.843.68
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)7.99%3.09%