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Agilent Technologies vs Quest Diagnostics: Which Stock Looks Stronger in 2026?

Quest Diagnostics holds the cleaner structural position, with the lead spread across growth and stability. Agilent Technologies does not offset that deficit through any equally strong structural edge elsewhere. The market setup broadly confirms the structural lead — Quest Diagnostics holds the more constructive position. 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 2026-05-17

This is not just a one-metric split: both growth and stability materially support the lead. The overall score gap is 17 points in favour of Quest Diagnostics Incorporated.

INDUSTRY COMPARISON

Both operate in: Diagnostics & Research

This comparison is based on industry proximity, not on functional trajectory similarity. A and DGX share the same industry classification.

For a similarity-based comparison, see how Agilent Technologies and Quest Diagnostics each position within their functional peer groups in AssetNext.

Peer-Relative Score
A
Agilent Technologies, Inc.
51
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: S&P 500
vs
DGX
Quest Diagnostics Incorporated
68
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: A vs DGX Profitability 57 48 Stability 45 81 Valuation 61 77 Growth 31 73 A DGX
Gap Ranking
#1 Growth +42
#2 Stability +36
#3 Valuation +16
#4 Profitability +9
Price Setup

Left means cheaper relative valuation. Higher means stronger structure.

Price setup map for A and DGX Stronger + cheaper Stronger + richer Weaker + cheaper Weaker + richer ADGX 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 A and DGX each sit in their own 5-year price and valuation history.

BASED ON 5-YEAR HISTORY A Lower · below norm 0th 50th 100th 84 pct gap DGX Elevated · above norm 0th 50th 100th 9th 93rd
Today A sits in the lower portion of its own 5-year history (9th percentile), while DGX sits higher in its own history (93rd). Within each stock's own 5-year context, A 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
Growth
On growth, Quest Diagnostics Incorporated ranks near the top of the group; Agilent Technologies, Inc. sits in the weaker half.
Stability
On stability, the edge is clear — both rank well, but Quest Diagnostics Incorporated sits noticeably higher.
Growth — Dominant Gap
A
31
DGX
73
Gap+42in favour of DGX

The current lead is backed by a stronger multi-year growth trajectory.

What keeps the gap from being one-sided

Profitability still favours Agilent Technologies, with a 8.7-point operating margin advantage keeping the comparison from looking fully resolved.

What this means for the comparison

The lead is built on both growth and stability, making it broader than a single-dimension result.

Explore full peer positioning in AssetNext

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

Explore full breakdown →
Similar growth-and-stability comparisons

Explore how A 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.