CI vs. DGX: Cigna vs. Quest Diagnostics Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Cigna (CI) 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

Cigna (CI) and Quest Diagnostics (DGX) are both classified in the Health Care Services sub-industry within the broader Health Care Providers & Services industry, placing them in the closest GICS peer bucket.

Company profile comparison for Cigna (CI) and Quest Diagnostics (DGX)
Profile Item	CI	DGX
Name	The Cigna Group	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 Providers & Services	Health Care Providers & Services
GICS Sub-Industry	Health Care Services	Health Care Services
Market Capitalization	77.36 billion USD	28.21 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	March 31, 1982	December 17, 1996
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

DGX

GSPC

Cigna (CI) 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 Cigna (CI) and Quest Diagnostics (DGX). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Cigna (CI) and Quest Diagnostics (DGX)
Metric	CI	DGX
Total Return (1Y)	13.95%	45.88%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	2.65%	27.45%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	8.40%	14.84%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

DGX

GSPC

Cigna (CI) 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 Cigna (CI) and Quest Diagnostics (DGX). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Cigna (CI) and Quest Diagnostics (DGX)
Metric	CI	DGX
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	26.82%	24.06%
Beta (5Y)	0.24	0.54
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-32.10%	-28.62%
Avg. Volume (3M)	1.55M	1.00M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

CI 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 Cigna (CI) and Quest Diagnostics (DGX)
Metric	CI	DGX
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.36	1.73
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	0.54	3.16

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both Cigna (CI) at 15.65% and Quest Diagnostics (DGX) at 15.32% sit in the top peer quartile for ROE, suggesting each generates more profit from shareholders’ equity than typical industry peers.

CI

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

15.65%

Max: 47.61%
CI: 15.65%
Q3: 14.36%
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%

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

Net Margin (TTM)

Quest Diagnostics (DGX) at 9.54% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of Cigna (CI) at 2.09%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

CI

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

2.09%

Max: 29.35%
Q3: 9.33%
Median: 2.18%
CI: 2.09%
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%

Cigna (CI) 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 Cigna (CI) at 3.48%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

CI

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

3.48%

Max: 35.43%
Q3: 14.14%
Median: 6.81%
CI: 3.48%
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%

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

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Cigna (CI) and Quest Diagnostics (DGX)
Metric	CI	DGX
ROE (TTM)	15.65%	15.32%
ROA (TTM)	4.29%	6.61%
Net Margin (TTM)	2.09%	9.54%
Operating Margin (TTM)	3.48%	15.63%
Gross Margin (TTM)	9.09%	33.18%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Cigna (CI) at 11.26% 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.

Cigna (CI) vs. Quest Diagnostics (DGX): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Cigna (CI) at 83.00% sits in the top EPS growth quartile, while Quest Diagnostics (DGX) at 13.78% is closer to the peer norm — faster per-share earnings growth for CI.

Cigna (CI) vs. Quest Diagnostics (DGX): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Cigna (CI) and Quest Diagnostics (DGX)
Metric	CI	DGX
Revenue Growth (YoY)	11.26%	11.78%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	15.15%	3.74%
EPS Growth (YoY)	83.00%	13.78%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	1.36%	3.16%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Quest Diagnostics (DGX) at 1.70 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Cigna (CI) at 0.84 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for CI.

CI

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.84

Max: 7.59
Q3: 4.00
Median: 1.98
Q1: 1.37
CI: 0.84
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

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

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Cigna (CI) at 0.71 and Quest Diagnostics (DGX) at 0.80 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

CI

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.71

Max: 1.88
Q3: 0.91
CI: 0.71
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

Cigna (CI) 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 Cigna (CI) and Quest Diagnostics (DGX)
Metric	CI	DGX
Current Ratio (MRQ)	0.84	1.70
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.71	0.80
Net Debt / EBITDA	1.87	2.38

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Cigna (CI) at 2.05% 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.

CI

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

2.05%

CI: 2.05%
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%

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

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both Cigna (CI) at 27.29% 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.

CI

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

27.29%

CI: 27.29%
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%

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

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Cigna (CI) and Quest Diagnostics (DGX)
Metric	CI	DGX
Dividend Yield (TTM)	2.05%	1.33%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	27.29%	25.10%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Cigna (CI) at 12.94 sits in the cheaper P/E ratio quartile, while Quest Diagnostics (DGX) at 25.46 is closer to its industry’s usual earnings multiple — a discount for CI, though growth and earnings durability still matter.

CI

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

12.94

Max: 80.41
Q3: 47.62
Median: 29.93
Q1: 21.19
CI: 12.94
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

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

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Cigna (CI) at 0.27 sits in the cheaper P/S ratio quartile while Quest Diagnostics (DGX) at 2.38 prices around its industry’s middle — CI costs less per dollar of sales, though read it alongside growth and margins.

CI

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.27

Max: 8.80
Q3: 4.32
Median: 2.13
Q1: 1.10
CI: 0.27
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

Cigna (CI) 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 Cigna (CI) at 1.79 and Quest Diagnostics (DGX) at 3.68 are valued close to their industries’ norm against book — neither stands out from peers.

CI

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

1.79

Max: 11.68
Q3: 6.12
Median: 3.00
CI: 1.79
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

Cigna (CI) 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 Cigna (CI) and Quest Diagnostics (DGX)
Metric	CI	DGX
P/E Ratio (TTM)	12.94	25.46
P/S Ratio (TTM)	0.27	2.38
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	1.79	3.68
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	10.59%	3.09%