DGX vs. ELV: Quest Diagnostics vs. Elevance Health Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Quest Diagnostics (DGX) and Elevance Health (ELV) 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

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

Company profile comparison for Quest Diagnostics (DGX) and Elevance Health (ELV)
Profile Item	DGX	ELV
Name	Quest Diagnostics Incorporated	Elevance Health, Inc.
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	Managed Health Care
Market Capitalization	28.21 billion USD	91.96 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	December 17, 1996	October 30, 2001
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

DGX

ELV

GSPC

Quest Diagnostics (DGX) vs. Elevance Health (ELV), 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 Quest Diagnostics (DGX) and Elevance Health (ELV). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

Loading price history…

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Quest Diagnostics (DGX) and Elevance Health (ELV)
Metric	DGX	ELV
Total Return (1Y)	45.88%	35.51%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	27.45%	-0.68%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	14.84%	1.10%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

DGX

ELV

GSPC

Quest Diagnostics (DGX) vs. Elevance Health (ELV), 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 Quest Diagnostics (DGX) and Elevance Health (ELV). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Quest Diagnostics (DGX) and Elevance Health (ELV)
Metric	DGX	ELV
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	24.06%	35.05%
Beta (5Y)	0.54	0.61
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-28.62%	-50.38%
Avg. Volume (3M)	1.00M	1.19M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

DGX and ELV 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 Quest Diagnostics (DGX) and Elevance Health (ELV)
Metric	DGX	ELV
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	1.73	0.89
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	3.16	1.25

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Quest Diagnostics (DGX) at 15.32% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Elevance Health (ELV) at 11.48% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for DGX.

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%

ELV

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

11.48%

Max: 47.61%
Q3: 14.36%
ELV: 11.48%
Median: 5.45%
Q1: -10.67%
Min: -47.01%

Quest Diagnostics (DGX) vs. Elevance Health (ELV): 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 Elevance Health (ELV) at 2.55%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

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%

ELV

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

2.55%

Max: 29.35%
Q3: 9.33%
ELV: 2.55%
Median: 2.18%
Q1: -6.29%
Min: -28.46%

Quest Diagnostics (DGX) vs. Elevance Health (ELV): 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 Elevance Health (ELV) at 4.22%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

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%

ELV

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

4.22%

Max: 35.43%
Q3: 14.14%
Median: 6.81%
ELV: 4.22%
Q1: -0.28%
Min: -16.29%

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

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Quest Diagnostics (DGX) and Elevance Health (ELV)
Metric	DGX	ELV
ROE (TTM)	15.32%	11.48%
ROA (TTM)	6.61%	4.01%
Net Margin (TTM)	9.54%	2.55%
Operating Margin (TTM)	15.63%	4.22%
Gross Margin (TTM)	33.18%	26.43%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Quest Diagnostics (DGX) at 11.78% and Elevance Health (ELV) at 12.62% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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

EPS Growth

Both Quest Diagnostics (DGX) at 13.78% and Elevance Health (ELV) at -1.83% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Quest Diagnostics (DGX) and Elevance Health (ELV)
Metric	DGX	ELV
Revenue Growth (YoY)	11.78%	12.62%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	3.74%	8.34%
EPS Growth (YoY)	13.78%	-1.83%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	3.16%	0.53%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Quest Diagnostics (DGX) at 1.70 and Elevance Health (ELV) at 1.47 carry current ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges, suggesting balanced short-term liquidity relative to peers.

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

ELV

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

1.47

Max: 7.59
Q3: 4.00
Median: 1.98
ELV: 1.47
Q1: 1.37
Min: 0.30

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

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Quest Diagnostics (DGX) at 0.80 and Elevance Health (ELV) at 0.69 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

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

ELV

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.69

Max: 1.88
Q3: 0.91
ELV: 0.69
Median: 0.58
Q1: 0.16
Min: 0.00

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

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Quest Diagnostics (DGX) and Elevance Health (ELV)
Metric	DGX	ELV
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.70	1.47
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.80	0.69
Net Debt / EBITDA	2.38	-0.81

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Quest Diagnostics (DGX) at 1.33% and Elevance Health (ELV) at 1.59% yield above their industries’ entire benchmark ranges — high enough that dividend safety, not income, becomes the first question.

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%

ELV

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

1.59%

ELV: 1.59%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

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

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both Quest Diagnostics (DGX) at 25.10% and Elevance Health (ELV) at 29.17% pay out more of their earnings than any of their industry peers — the thinnest cover in their groups, so dividend headroom deserves attention.

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%

ELV

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

29.17%

ELV: 29.17%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

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

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Quest Diagnostics (DGX) and Elevance Health (ELV)
Metric	DGX	ELV
Dividend Yield (TTM)	1.33%	1.59%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	25.10%	29.17%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Elevance Health (ELV) at 18.07 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 ELV, though growth and earnings durability still matter.

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

ELV

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

18.07

Max: 80.41
Q3: 47.62
Median: 29.93
Q1: 21.19
ELV: 18.07
Min: 4.21

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

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Elevance Health (ELV) at 0.46 sits in the cheaper P/S ratio quartile while Quest Diagnostics (DGX) at 2.38 prices around its industry’s middle — ELV costs less per dollar of sales, though read it alongside growth and margins.

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

ELV

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.46

Max: 8.80
Q3: 4.32
Median: 2.13
Q1: 1.10
ELV: 0.46
Min: 0.03

Quest Diagnostics (DGX) vs. Elevance Health (ELV): 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 Quest Diagnostics (DGX) at 3.68 and Elevance Health (ELV) at 2.06 are valued close to their industries’ norm against book — neither stands out from peers.

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

ELV

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

2.06

Max: 11.68
Q3: 6.12
Median: 3.00
ELV: 2.06
Q1: 1.73
Min: -1.31

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

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Quest Diagnostics (DGX) and Elevance Health (ELV)
Metric	DGX	ELV
P/E Ratio (TTM)	25.46	18.07
P/S Ratio (TTM)	2.38	0.46
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	3.68	2.06
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	3.09%	8.69%