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COR vs. DGX: Cencora vs. Quest Diagnostics Stock Comparison

How do Cencora (COR) 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

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

Company profile comparison for Cencora (COR) and Quest Diagnostics (DGX)
Profile ItemCORDGX
NameCencora 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 Capitalization63.65 billion USD28.21 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENYSE
Listing DateApril 4, 1995December 17, 1996
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

COR
DGX
GSPC
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Cencora (COR) 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 Cencora (COR) and Quest Diagnostics (DGX). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Cencora (COR) and Quest Diagnostics (DGX)
MetricCORDGX
Total Return (1Y)-3.53%45.88%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)21.62%27.45%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)24.10%14.84%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

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

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Cencora (COR) and Quest Diagnostics (DGX)
MetricCORDGX
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)31.90%24.06%
Beta (5Y)0.560.54
Max Drawdown (5Y)-32.44%-28.62%
Avg. Volume (3M)1.29M1.00M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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COR 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 Cencora (COR) and Quest Diagnostics (DGX)
MetricCORDGX
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)-0.241.73
Sortino Ratio (1Y)-0.303.16

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both companies show strong equity returns, but Cencora (COR) at 129.01% is the standout with ROE above its industry range; Quest Diagnostics (DGX) at 15.32% also sits in the top quartile.

COR

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

129.01%

COR
129.01%
Max
47.61%
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%
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Cencora (COR) 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 Cencora (COR) at 1.03%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

COR

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

1.03%

Max
29.35%
Q3
9.33%
Median
2.18%
COR
1.03%
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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Cencora (COR) 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 Cencora (COR) at 1.27%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

COR

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

1.27%

Max
35.43%
Q3
14.14%
Median
6.81%
COR
1.27%
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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Cencora (COR) vs. Quest Diagnostics (DGX): A comparison of their operating margin against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Cencora (COR) and Quest Diagnostics (DGX)
MetricCORDGX
ROE (TTM)129.01%15.32%
ROA (TTM)3.57%6.61%
Net Margin (TTM)1.03%9.54%
Operating Margin (TTM)1.27%15.63%
Gross Margin (TTM)4.09%33.18%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Only one side can be read here: Quest Diagnostics (DGX) reports revenue growth of 11.78%, ranked against its industry; Cencora (COR) has no revenue growth figure this period.

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

EPS Growth

Cencora (COR) at 125.50% clears its industry range for EPS growth, a much stronger earnings trajectory than Quest Diagnostics (DGX) at 13.78%, which is closer to a typical peer reading.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Cencora (COR) and Quest Diagnostics (DGX)
MetricCORDGX
Revenue Growth (YoY)--11.78%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)--3.74%
EPS Growth (YoY)125.50%13.78%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)28.15%3.16%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Quest Diagnostics (DGX) at 1.70 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Cencora (COR) at 0.94 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for COR.

COR

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.94

Max
7.59
Q3
4.00
Median
1.98
Q1
1.37
COR
0.94
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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Cencora (COR) vs. Quest Diagnostics (DGX): A comparison of their current ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Quest Diagnostics (DGX) at 0.80 is near its industry mid-range for debt-to-equity ratio, while Cencora (COR) at 3.06 sits above its benchmark range, pointing to a heavier debt load relative to equity.

COR

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

3.06

COR
3.06
Max
1.88
Q3
0.91
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
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Cencora (COR) 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 Cencora (COR) and Quest Diagnostics (DGX)
MetricCORDGX
Current Ratio (MRQ)0.941.70
Debt / Equity (MRQ)3.060.80
Net Debt / EBITDA1.122.38

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Cencora (COR) at 0.71% 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.

COR

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.71%

COR
0.71%
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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Cencora (COR) vs. Quest Diagnostics (DGX): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both Cencora (COR) at 17.45% 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.

COR

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

17.45%

COR
17.45%
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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Cencora (COR) vs. Quest Diagnostics (DGX): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Cencora (COR) and Quest Diagnostics (DGX)
MetricCORDGX
Dividend Yield (TTM)0.71%1.33%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)17.45%25.10%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Cencora (COR) at 18.58 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 COR, though growth and earnings durability still matter.

COR

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

18.58

Max
80.41
Q3
47.62
Median
29.93
Q1
21.19
COR
18.58
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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Cencora (COR) vs. Quest Diagnostics (DGX): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Cencora (COR) at 0.19 sits in the cheaper P/S ratio quartile while Quest Diagnostics (DGX) at 2.38 prices around its industry’s middle — COR costs less per dollar of sales, though read it alongside growth and margins.

COR

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.19

Max
8.80
Q3
4.32
Median
2.13
Q1
1.10
COR
0.19
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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Cencora (COR) vs. Quest Diagnostics (DGX): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Quest Diagnostics (DGX) at 3.68 sits near its industry’s typical P/B ratio, while Cencora (COR) at 17.29 prices above its benchmark range — COR looks rich relative to book.

COR

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

17.29

COR
17.29
Max
11.68
Q3
6.12
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
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Cencora (COR) 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 Cencora (COR) and Quest Diagnostics (DGX)
MetricCORDGX
P/E Ratio (TTM)18.5825.46
P/S Ratio (TTM)0.192.38
P/B Ratio (MRQ)17.293.68
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)2.81%3.09%