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DGX vs. STE: Quest Diagnostics vs. STERIS Stock Comparison

How do Quest Diagnostics (DGX) and STERIS (STE) 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 STERIS (STE) both fall under the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group, but DGX is classified in Health Care Providers & Services while STE is classified in Health Care Equipment & Supplies.

Company profile comparison for Quest Diagnostics (DGX) and STERIS (STE)
Profile ItemDGXSTE
NameQuest Diagnostics IncorporatedSTERIS plc
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorHealth CareHealth Care
GICS Industry GroupHealth Care Equipment & ServicesHealth Care Equipment & Services
GICS IndustryHealth Care Providers & ServicesHealth Care Equipment & Supplies
GICS Sub-IndustryHealth Care ServicesHealth Care Equipment
Market Capitalization28.21 billion USD24.50 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENYSE
Listing DateDecember 17, 1996June 1, 1992
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

DGX
STE
GSPC
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Quest Diagnostics (DGX) vs. STERIS (STE), 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 STERIS (STE). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Quest Diagnostics (DGX) and STERIS (STE)
MetricDGXSTE
Total Return (1Y)45.88%-1.85%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)27.45%9.57%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)14.84%3.26%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

DGX
STE
GSPC
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Quest Diagnostics (DGX) vs. STERIS (STE), 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 STERIS (STE). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Quest Diagnostics (DGX) and STERIS (STE)
MetricDGXSTE
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)24.06%26.39%
Beta (5Y)0.540.81
Max Drawdown (5Y)-28.62%-36.18%
Avg. Volume (3M)1.00M694.02K

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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DGX and STE 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 STERIS (STE)
MetricDGXSTE
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)1.73-0.23
Sortino Ratio (1Y)3.16-0.34

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Quest Diagnostics (DGX) at 15.32% sits in the top ROE quartile, while STERIS (STE) at 11.61% 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%

STE

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

11.61%

Max
47.61%
Q3
14.36%
STE
11.61%
Median
5.45%
Q1
-10.67%
Min
-47.01%
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Quest Diagnostics (DGX) vs. STERIS (STE): A comparison of their ROE against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

For every dollar of sales, both Quest Diagnostics (DGX) at 9.54% and STERIS (STE) at 13.41% retain more as net profit than most peers, landing in the top net margin quartile of their industries.

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%

STE

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

13.41%

Max
29.35%
STE
13.41%
Q3
9.33%
Median
2.18%
Q1
-6.29%
Min
-28.46%
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Quest Diagnostics (DGX) vs. STERIS (STE): A comparison of their net margin against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Quest Diagnostics (DGX) at 15.63% and STERIS (STE) at 19.18% convert sales into operating profit at a top-quartile rate, pointing to tighter cost discipline before financing and tax.

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%

STE

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

19.18%

Max
35.43%
STE
19.18%
Q3
14.14%
Median
6.81%
Q1
-0.28%
Min
-16.29%
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Quest Diagnostics (DGX) vs. STERIS (STE): A comparison of their operating margin against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Quest Diagnostics (DGX) and STERIS (STE)
MetricDGXSTE
ROE (TTM)15.32%11.61%
ROA (TTM)6.61%7.00%
Net Margin (TTM)9.54%13.41%
Operating Margin (TTM)15.63%19.18%
Gross Margin (TTM)33.18%44.30%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Quest Diagnostics (DGX) at 11.78% and STERIS (STE) at 8.73% 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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Quest Diagnostics (DGX) vs. STERIS (STE): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

STERIS (STE) at 27.90% 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 STE.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Quest Diagnostics (DGX) and STERIS (STE)
MetricDGXSTE
Revenue Growth (YoY)11.78%8.73%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)3.74%9.38%
EPS Growth (YoY)13.78%27.90%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)3.16%94.97%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Quest Diagnostics (DGX) at 1.70 and STERIS (STE) at 2.05 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

STE

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

2.05

Max
7.59
Q3
4.00
STE
2.05
Median
1.98
Q1
1.37
Min
0.30
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Quest Diagnostics (DGX) vs. STERIS (STE): 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 STERIS (STE) at 0.28 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

STE

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.28

Max
1.88
Q3
0.91
Median
0.58
STE
0.28
Q1
0.16
Min
0.00
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Quest Diagnostics (DGX) vs. STERIS (STE): 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 STERIS (STE)
MetricDGXSTE
Current Ratio (MRQ)1.702.05
Debt / Equity (MRQ)0.800.28
Net Debt / EBITDA2.380.91

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Quest Diagnostics (DGX) at 1.33% and STERIS (STE) at 1.02% 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%

STE

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

1.02%

STE
1.02%
Max
0.00%
Q3
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Quest Diagnostics (DGX) vs. STERIS (STE): 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 STERIS (STE) at 30.61% 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%

STE

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

30.61%

STE
30.61%
Max
0.00%
Q3
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Quest Diagnostics (DGX) vs. STERIS (STE): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Quest Diagnostics (DGX) and STERIS (STE)
MetricDGXSTE
Dividend Yield (TTM)1.33%1.02%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)25.10%30.61%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Quest Diagnostics (DGX) at 25.46 and STERIS (STE) at 29.93 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

STE

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

29.93

Max
80.41
Q3
47.62
STE
29.93
Median
29.93
Q1
21.19
Min
4.21
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Quest Diagnostics (DGX) vs. STERIS (STE): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

On P/S ratio, both Quest Diagnostics (DGX) at 2.38 and STERIS (STE) at 3.97 are priced roughly in line with their industries — neither looks cheap nor rich on a sales basis.

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

STE

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

3.97

Max
8.80
Q3
4.32
STE
3.97
Median
2.13
Q1
1.10
Min
0.03
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Quest Diagnostics (DGX) vs. STERIS (STE): 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 STERIS (STE) at 3.38 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

STE

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

3.38

Max
11.68
Q3
6.12
STE
3.38
Median
3.00
Q1
1.73
Min
-1.31
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Quest Diagnostics (DGX) vs. STERIS (STE): 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 STERIS (STE)
MetricDGXSTE
P/E Ratio (TTM)25.4629.93
P/S Ratio (TTM)2.383.97
P/B Ratio (MRQ)3.683.38
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)3.09%3.36%