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DGX vs. UHS: Quest Diagnostics vs. Universal Health Services Stock Comparison

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

Company profile comparison for Quest Diagnostics (DGX) and Universal Health Services (UHS)
Profile ItemDGXUHS
NameQuest Diagnostics IncorporatedUniversal Health Services Inc. Class B Common Stock
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 ServicesHealth Care Facilities
Market Capitalization28.21 billion USD11.52 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENYSE
Listing DateDecember 17, 1996July 9, 1981
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

DGX
UHS
GSPC
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Quest Diagnostics (DGX) vs. Universal Health Services (UHS), 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 Universal Health Services (UHS). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Quest Diagnostics (DGX) and Universal Health Services (UHS)
MetricDGXUHS
Total Return (1Y)45.88%-12.89%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)27.45%16.25%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)14.84%9.70%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

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

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Quest Diagnostics (DGX) and Universal Health Services (UHS)
MetricDGXUHS
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)24.06%34.26%
Beta (5Y)0.541.06
Max Drawdown (5Y)-28.62%-43.34%
Avg. Volume (3M)1.00M707.83K

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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DGX and UHS 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 Universal Health Services (UHS)
MetricDGXUHS
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)1.73-0.50
Sortino Ratio (1Y)3.16-0.70

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both Quest Diagnostics (DGX) at 15.32% and Universal Health Services (UHS) at 19.74% sit in the top peer quartile for ROE, suggesting each generates more profit from shareholders’ equity than typical industry peers.

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%

UHS

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

19.74%

Max
47.61%
UHS
19.74%
Q3
14.36%
Median
5.45%
Q1
-10.67%
Min
-47.01%
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Quest Diagnostics (DGX) vs. Universal Health Services (UHS): 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 Universal Health Services (UHS) at 7.97%, 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%

UHS

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

7.97%

Max
29.35%
Q3
9.33%
UHS
7.97%
Median
2.18%
Q1
-6.29%
Min
-28.46%
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Quest Diagnostics (DGX) vs. Universal Health Services (UHS): 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 Universal Health Services (UHS) at 9.60%, 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%

UHS

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

9.60%

Max
35.43%
Q3
14.14%
UHS
9.60%
Median
6.81%
Q1
-0.28%
Min
-16.29%
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Quest Diagnostics (DGX) vs. Universal Health Services (UHS): A comparison of their operating margin against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Quest Diagnostics (DGX) and Universal Health Services (UHS)
MetricDGXUHS
ROE (TTM)15.32%19.74%
ROA (TTM)6.61%7.65%
Net Margin (TTM)9.54%7.97%
Operating Margin (TTM)15.63%9.60%
Gross Margin (TTM)33.18%44.51%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Quest Diagnostics (DGX) at 11.78% and Universal Health Services (UHS) at 9.71% 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. Universal Health Services (UHS): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Universal Health Services (UHS) at 37.34% 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 UHS.

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Quest Diagnostics (DGX) vs. Universal Health Services (UHS): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Quest Diagnostics (DGX) and Universal Health Services (UHS)
MetricDGXUHS
Revenue Growth (YoY)11.78%9.71%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)3.74%9.03%
EPS Growth (YoY)13.78%37.34%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)3.16%36.21%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Quest Diagnostics (DGX) at 1.70 and Universal Health Services (UHS) at 1.37 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

UHS

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

1.37

Max
7.59
Q3
4.00
Median
1.98
UHS
1.37
Q1
1.37
Min
0.30
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Quest Diagnostics (DGX) vs. Universal Health Services (UHS): 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 Universal Health Services (UHS) at 0.80 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

UHS

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.80

Max
1.88
Q3
0.91
UHS
0.80
Median
0.58
Q1
0.16
Min
0.00
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Quest Diagnostics (DGX) vs. Universal Health Services (UHS): 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 Universal Health Services (UHS)
MetricDGXUHS
Current Ratio (MRQ)1.701.37
Debt / Equity (MRQ)0.800.80
Net Debt / EBITDA2.382.27

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Quest Diagnostics (DGX) at 1.33% and Universal Health Services (UHS) at 0.10% 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%

UHS

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.10%

UHS
0.10%
Max
0.00%
Q3
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Quest Diagnostics (DGX) vs. Universal Health Services (UHS): 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 Universal Health Services (UHS) at 3.35% 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%

UHS

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

3.35%

UHS
3.35%
Max
0.00%
Q3
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Quest Diagnostics (DGX) vs. Universal Health Services (UHS): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Quest Diagnostics (DGX) and Universal Health Services (UHS)
MetricDGXUHS
Dividend Yield (TTM)1.33%0.10%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)25.10%3.35%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Universal Health Services (UHS) at 8.18 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 UHS, 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

UHS

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

8.18

Max
80.41
Q3
47.62
Median
29.93
Q1
21.19
UHS
8.18
Min
4.21
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Quest Diagnostics (DGX) vs. Universal Health Services (UHS): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Universal Health Services (UHS) at 0.63 sits in the cheaper P/S ratio quartile while Quest Diagnostics (DGX) at 2.38 prices around its industry’s middle — UHS 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

UHS

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.63

Max
8.80
Q3
4.32
Median
2.13
Q1
1.10
UHS
0.63
Min
0.03
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Quest Diagnostics (DGX) vs. Universal Health Services (UHS): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Universal Health Services (UHS) at 1.51 sits in the lower P/B ratio quartile against book while Quest Diagnostics (DGX) at 3.68 is valued near its industry’s middle — UHS is cheaper on assets, though weigh it against ROE and asset quality.

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

UHS

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

1.51

Max
11.68
Q3
6.12
Median
3.00
Q1
1.73
UHS
1.51
Min
-1.31
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Quest Diagnostics (DGX) vs. Universal Health Services (UHS): 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 Universal Health Services (UHS)
MetricDGXUHS
P/E Ratio (TTM)25.468.18
P/S Ratio (TTM)2.380.63
P/B Ratio (MRQ)3.681.51
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)3.09%6.47%