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Abbott Laboratories vs Quest Diagnostics: Which Stock Looks Stronger in 2026?

Quest Diagnostics holds the cleaner structural position, with profitability as the main driver and valuation adding further support. Abbott Laboratories does not offset that deficit through any equally strong structural edge elsewhere. On the market side, Quest Diagnostics is in better shape — its trend is intact while Abbott Laboratories's trend has broken down. That puts structure and market broadly in agreement — Quest Diagnostics's lead looks more confirmed than conflicted.

The comparison is based on similar long-term financial trajectories, not sector labels. Both peer scores are relative to the S&P 500 universe, making them directly comparable.

Updated 2026-08-16

This is not just a one-metric split: both profitability and valuation materially support the lead. Quest Diagnostics Incorporated leads by 22 points on the overall comparison score.

Trajectory Similarity
0.72
Similar
Peer-set rank: #11
within Abbott Laboratories's functional peer set

This pair is matched through long-term financial trajectory similarity within the selected peer universe.

The pair sits on a clearly comparable long-term path, though it is not a near-twin match.

The match is driven mainly by margin consistency and capital structure.

Similarity drivers
margin consistencycapital structure
How to read the score
0.85–1.00 · Very similar0.70–0.84 · Similar0.55–0.69 · Moderately similarbelow 0.55 · Loose match
Peer-Relative Score
ABT
Abbott Laboratories
41
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: S&P 500
vs
DGX
Quest Diagnostics Incorporated
63
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: S&P 500

Scores reflect position relative to comparable companies with similar long-term financial trajectories.

Score differences across key dimensions.

Dimension spread: ABT vs DGX Profitability 16 47 Stability 68 83 Valuation 46 67 Growth 44 61 ABT DGX
Gap Ranking
#1 Profitability +31
#2 Valuation +21
#3 Growth +17
#4 Stability +15
Price Setup

Left means cheaper relative valuation. Higher means stronger structure.

Price setup map for ABT and DGX Stronger + cheaper Stronger + richer Weaker + cheaper Weaker + richer ABTDGX Relative valuation Structural strength

Quest Diagnostics Incorporated looks stronger on relative valuation, while the broader price setup remains mixed.

Valuation position uses peer-relative PE percentile (idx_pct_pe) where available.

Entry today — historical context

Where ABT and DGX each sit in their own 5-year price and valuation history.

BASED ON 5-YEAR HISTORY ABT Neutral · above norm 0th 50th 100th 34 pct gap DGX Elevated · above norm 0th 50th 100th 65th 99th
Today ABT sits in the upper-middle of its own 5-year history (65th percentile), while DGX sits higher in its own history (99th). Within each stock's own 5-year context, ABT is at a historically more favourable entry position than DGX. This reflects entry timing, not which company is structurally stronger — peer-relative analysis is a separate question addressed above.

Describes historical entry positioning only. Descriptive — not investment advice.

Relative Position vs Comparable Companies
Profitability
Quest Diagnostics Incorporated holds the stronger peer position on profitability.
Valuation
Both profiles are strong on valuation, but Quest Diagnostics Incorporated leads clearly.
Profitability — Dominant Gap
ABT
16
DGX
47
Gap+31in favour of DGX

Return on equity adds support too, with a 4-point advantage.

What else supports the lead

Absolute pricing gives the lead a second hard layer of support, with a trailing P/E that is 11.1 turns lower.

What this means for the comparison

Profitability is the clearest driver, and valuation also supports Quest Diagnostics Incorporated's broader structural position.

Explore full peer positioning in AssetNext

Break down the ABT vs DGX comparison across all dimensions with the full interactive tool.

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Similar profitability-and-valuation comparisons

Explore how ABT and DGX each compare against other companies in their peer groups.

Rule-based, descriptive analysis only. Derived from peer percentile dimensions. Not investment advice. Peer groups are determined algorithmically based on structural similarity — not by sector classification alone.

How AssetNext Peer Scores Work

AssetNext scores reflect each company's structural position within its functional peer group — not a ranking against all stocks simultaneously. Peers are identified by similarity across eight financial dimensions, including revenue growth trajectory, margin structure, capital intensity, and earnings stability. A score of 75 means the company ranks in the top quartile within its own peer group, not the entire market.

Four dimension scores drive the overall peer score: Growth (revenue trajectory and expansion dynamics), Quality (margin structure and capital efficiency), Valuation (peer-relative pricing on standard multiples), and Stability (earnings consistency and financial predictability). Each dimension is scored 0–100 relative to the peer group, then combined into an overall peer score using equal weighting.

Because scores are peer-relative, the same company can have slightly different scores in different index universes. On comparison pages, both companies are shown within their shared peer universe wherever possible — so the scores are directly comparable. The peer basis is stated on each score card.

Scores are recalculated periodically as underlying financial data is updated. All analysis is descriptive and rule-based — AssetNext describes structural realities and never issues buy, sell or hold recommendations.