DGX vs. HUM: Quest Diagnostics vs. Humana Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

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

Company profile comparison for Quest Diagnostics (DGX) and Humana (HUM)
Profile Item	DGX	HUM
Name	Quest Diagnostics Incorporated	Humana 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	52.09 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	December 17, 1996	December 31, 1981
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

DGX

HUM

GSPC

Quest Diagnostics (DGX) vs. Humana (HUM), 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 Quest Diagnostics (DGX) and Humana (HUM). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Quest Diagnostics (DGX) and Humana (HUM)
Metric	DGX	HUM
Total Return (1Y)	45.88%	75.62%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	27.45%	-2.91%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	14.84%	0.40%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

DGX

HUM

GSPC

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

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Quest Diagnostics (DGX) and Humana (HUM)
Metric	DGX	HUM
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	24.06%	45.95%
Beta (5Y)	0.54	0.62
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-28.62%	-69.92%
Avg. Volume (3M)	1.00M	1.26M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

DGX and HUM 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 Humana (HUM)
Metric	DGX	HUM
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	1.73	1.55
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	3.16	2.28

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Quest Diagnostics (DGX) at 15.32% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Humana (HUM) at 6.74% 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%

HUM

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

6.74%

Max: 47.61%
Q3: 14.36%
HUM: 6.74%
Median: 5.45%
Q1: -10.67%
Min: -47.01%

Quest Diagnostics (DGX) vs. Humana (HUM): 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 Humana (HUM) at 0.81%, 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%

HUM

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.81%

Max: 29.35%
Q3: 9.33%
Median: 2.18%
HUM: 0.81%
Q1: -6.29%
Min: -28.46%

Quest Diagnostics (DGX) vs. Humana (HUM): 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 Humana (HUM) at 0.24%, 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%

HUM

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.24%

Max: 35.43%
Q3: 14.14%
Median: 6.81%
HUM: 0.24%
Q1: -0.28%
Min: -16.29%

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

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Quest Diagnostics (DGX) and Humana (HUM)
Metric	DGX	HUM
ROE (TTM)	15.32%	6.74%
ROA (TTM)	6.61%	3.24%
Net Margin (TTM)	9.54%	0.81%
Operating Margin (TTM)	15.63%	0.24%
Gross Margin (TTM)	33.18%	13.01%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Quest Diagnostics (DGX) at 11.78% and Humana (HUM) at 10.11% 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. Humana (HUM): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both Quest Diagnostics (DGX) at 13.78% and Humana (HUM) at -1.40% 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. Humana (HUM): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Quest Diagnostics (DGX) and Humana (HUM)
Metric	DGX	HUM
Revenue Growth (YoY)	11.78%	10.11%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	3.74%	11.77%
EPS Growth (YoY)	13.78%	-1.40%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	3.16%	-23.62%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Quest Diagnostics (DGX) at 1.70 and Humana (HUM) at 1.65 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

HUM

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

1.65

Max: 7.59
Q3: 4.00
Median: 1.98
HUM: 1.65
Q1: 1.37
Min: 0.30

Quest Diagnostics (DGX) vs. Humana (HUM): 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 Humana (HUM) at 0.68 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

HUM

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.68

Max: 1.88
Q3: 0.91
HUM: 0.68
Median: 0.58
Q1: 0.16
Min: 0.00

Quest Diagnostics (DGX) vs. Humana (HUM): 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 Humana (HUM)
Metric	DGX	HUM
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.70	1.65
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.80	0.68
Net Debt / EBITDA	2.38	-4.10

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Quest Diagnostics (DGX) at 1.33% and Humana (HUM) at 0.21% 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%

HUM

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.21%

HUM: 0.21%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Quest Diagnostics (DGX) vs. Humana (HUM): 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 Humana (HUM) at 34.54% 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%

HUM

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

34.54%

HUM: 34.54%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

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

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Quest Diagnostics (DGX) and Humana (HUM)
Metric	DGX	HUM
Dividend Yield (TTM)	1.33%	0.21%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	25.10%	34.54%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Quest Diagnostics (DGX) at 25.46 and Humana (HUM) at 42.32 land around their industries’ usual P/E ratio levels — neither is getting a clear earnings-multiple discount or premium versus peers.

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

HUM

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

42.32

Max: 80.41
Q3: 47.62
HUM: 42.32
Median: 29.93
Q1: 21.19
Min: 4.21

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

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Humana (HUM) at 0.34 sits in the cheaper P/S ratio quartile while Quest Diagnostics (DGX) at 2.38 prices around its industry’s middle — HUM 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

HUM

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.34

Max: 8.80
Q3: 4.32
Median: 2.13
Q1: 1.10
HUM: 0.34
Min: 0.03

Quest Diagnostics (DGX) vs. Humana (HUM): 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 Humana (HUM) at 2.77 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

HUM

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

2.77

Max: 11.68
Q3: 6.12
Median: 3.00
HUM: 2.77
Q1: 1.73
Min: -1.31

Quest Diagnostics (DGX) vs. Humana (HUM): 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 Humana (HUM)
Metric	DGX	HUM
P/E Ratio (TTM)	25.46	42.32
P/S Ratio (TTM)	2.38	0.34
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	3.68	2.77
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	3.09%	6.27%