DGX
Quest Diagnostics Incorporated
DGX has slightly lower modeled downside risk, despite its lower overall score.
UNH
UnitedHealth Group Incorporated
UNH has the edge over DGX overall, supported by stronger valuation and stronger modeled upside.
DGX Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Healthy | |
| Healthy | |
| Healthy | |
| Stable |
DGX's revenue, profitability and cash flow are currently healthy, and its balance sheet is stable.
UNH Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Stable | |
| Stable | |
| Healthy | |
| Healthy |
UNH's cash flow and balance sheet are currently healthy, and its revenue and profitability are stable.
DGX PE Valuation
| Level | PE | Price | Vs current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheap | 10x | $102 | -61% |
| Fair | 19x | $192 | -26% |
| Expensive | 22x | $220 | -15% |
| Forward | 22x | $260 | — |
| Current | 26x | $260 | — |
Historical ranges are pointers, not guarantees.
DGX's PE is in its expensive range at 26x. If earnings grow as analysts expect, today's price would be 22x next year's earnings.
UNH PE Valuation
| Level | PE | Price | Vs current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forward | 18x | $405 | — |
| Cheap | 19x | $325 | -20% |
| Fair | 23x | $410 | +1.2% |
| Current | 23x | $405 | — |
| Expensive | 30x | $526 | +30% |
Historical ranges are pointers, not guarantees.
UNH has the edge over DGX in the historical PE scenario, which offers more potential upside but is not a forecast.
DGX Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| Improving | |
| Growth | |
| Growth | |
| Stable | |
| Limited | |
| High |
Analysts expect earnings and revenue growth for DGX, with profitability holding steady.
UNH Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| Strongly improving | |
| Strong growth | |
| Stable | |
| Improving | |
| Moderate | |
| Low |
Analysts expect UNH's earnings to grow and its profitability to improve, with its revenue holding steady. However, they disagree widely on these estimates.
DGX Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Forward | $11.60 | +16% |
| Q3 2026 | $10.04 | +18% |
| Q2 2026 | $9.42 | +13% |
| Q1 2026 | $9.05 | +14% |
| Q4 2025 | $8.75 | +14% |
| Q3 2025 | $8.52 | +15% |
| Q2 2025 | $8.35 | +13% |
| Q1 2025 | $7.91 | +6.5% |
| Q4 2024 | $7.69 | +2.7% |
DGX has the edge over UNH on earnings, with more consistent year-over-year improvement.
UNH Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Forward | $22.65 | +29% |
| Q3 2026 | $17.55 | -8.5% |
| Q2 2026 | $15.58 | -33% |
| Q1 2026 | $13.28 | -44% |
| Q4 2025 | $13.23 | -15% |
| Q3 2025 | $19.17 | +25% |
| Q2 2025 | $23.09 | +53% |
| Q1 2025 | $23.89 | +46% |
| Q4 2024 | $15.51 | -35% |
UNH's earnings per share have fallen from their peak: $17.55 over the past year, against $23.89 in early 2025.
DGX Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $3.1B | +10% |
| Q2 2026 | $3B | +10% |
| Q1 2026 | $2.9B | +9.2% |
| Q4 2025 | $2.8B | +7.1% |
| Q3 2025 | $2.8B | +13% |
| Q2 2025 | $2.8B | +15% |
| Q1 2025 | $2.7B | +12% |
| Q4 2024 | $2.6B | +15% |
DGX has the edge over UNH on sales, with more consistent year-over-year improvement.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 15% | +1.8 points |
| Q2 2026 | 15% | -0.8 points |
| Q1 2026 | 14% | +0.7 points |
| Q4 2025 | 14% | 0 points |
| Q3 2025 | 14% | +0.5 points |
| Q2 2025 | 16% | +1 points |
| Q1 2025 | 13% | +0.4 points |
| Q4 2024 | 14% | +2.1 points |
DGX has the edge over UNH on profitability, with a higher operating margin.
UNH Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $112.7B | -0.4% |
| Q2 2026 | $112B | +0.4% |
| Q1 2026 | $111.7B | +2% |
| Q4 2025 | $113.2B | +12% |
| Q3 2025 | $113.2B | +12% |
| Q2 2025 | $111.6B | +13% |
| Q1 2025 | $109.6B | +9.8% |
| Q4 2024 | $100.8B | +6.8% |
UNH's revenue has held roughly level: $113B last quarter, about level with the same quarter a year ago.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 5.8% | +2 points |
| Q2 2026 | 7.1% | +2.5 points |
| Q1 2026 | 8.1% | -0.3 points |
| Q4 2025 | 0.3% | -7.4 points |
| Q3 2025 | 3.8% | -4.8 points |
| Q2 2025 | 4.6% | -3.4 points |
| Q1 2025 | 8.3% | +0.4 points |
| Q4 2024 | 7.7% | -0.4 points |
UNH's operating margin was 5.8% last quarter, up 2 points from the same quarter a year ago.
DGX Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $445M | +6.2% |
| Q2 2026 | $459M | +5.3% |
| Q1 2026 | $164M | -17% |
| Q4 2025 | $307M | -10% |
| Q3 2025 | $419M | +68% |
| Q2 2025 | $436M | +63% |
| Q1 2025 | $197M | +294% |
| Q4 2024 | $341M | -25% |
DGX still generates free cash flow, though less than at its 2020 peak: $1.4B over the past year.
UNH Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $4.3B | -16% |
| Q2 2026 | $10.3B | +63% |
| Q1 2026 | $8.1B | +79% |
| Q4 2025 | $160M | -89% |
| Q3 2025 | $5.1B | -61% |
| Q2 2025 | $6.3B | +6.9% |
| Q1 2025 | $4.6B | +1037% |
| Q4 2024 | $1.5B | +$7.6B |
UNH still generates free cash flow, though less than at its 2022 peak: $22.8B over the past year.
DGX Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | 0% | -- |
| 1 year | -0.9% | -1M shares |
| 3 years | -1.8% | -2M shares |
| 5 years | -10% | -13M shares |
| Available history | -18% | -24M shares |
DGX has the edge over UNH on shareholder dilution, with a more favorable share count trend.
| Quarter | Spent |
|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $150M |
| Q4 2025 | $300M |
| Q4 2023 | $275M |
| Q3 2023 | — |
| Q2 2023 | — |
| Q1 2023 | — |
| Q4 2022 | $461M |
| Q3 2022 | $374M |
UNH Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | -0.4% | -4M shares |
| 1 year | -0.7% | -6M shares |
| 3 years | -3.6% | -34M shares |
| 5 years | -5.5% | -53M shares |
| Available history | -6.6% | -64M shares |
UNH has 902M diluted shares, down 0.7% from a year ago, with $5B in buybacks over the past year.
| Quarter | Spent |
|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $3.4B |
| Q2 2026 | $1.6B |
| Q1 2026 | — |
| Q4 2025 | — |
| Q3 2025 | — |
| Q2 2025 | $2.5B |
| Q1 2025 | $3B |
| Q4 2024 | $5B |
UNH spent $5B buying back its own shares over the past year, down 52% from the year before.
DGX Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 2.1x | Moderate |
| Q2 2026 | 2.3x | Moderate |
| Q1 2026 | 2.4x | Moderate |
| Q4 2025 | 2.5x | Moderate |
| Q3 2025 | 2.5x | Moderate |
| Q2 2025 | 2.7x | Moderate |
| Q1 2025 | 3.0x | Moderate |
| Q4 2024 | 3.1x | Elevated |
DGX's net debt is about 2.1 years of its operating earnings (EBITDA), down from 2.5 years a year ago.
UNH Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 1.7x | Healthy |
| Q2 2026 | 1.7x | Healthy |
| Q1 2026 | 2.2x | Moderate |
| Q4 2025 | 2.3x | Moderate |
| Q3 2025 | 1.7x | Healthy |
| Q2 2025 | 1.5x | Healthy |
| Q1 2025 | 1.3x | Healthy |
| Q4 2024 | 1.4x | Healthy |
UNH has the edge over DGX on leverage, with a lower net debt burden relative to earnings.
DGX Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 70.0 | Neutral |
| Stochastic | 89.7 | Overbought |
DGX's weekly RSI is 70 (neutral) and its Stochastic is 90 (overbought).
UNH Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 56.4 | Neutral |
| Stochastic | 60.0 | Neutral |
UNH's weekly RSI is 56 (neutral) and its Stochastic is 60 (neutral).
DGX PE vs Healthcare Sector
| Metric | DGX | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 26x | 26x | Same PE |
| PE % | 99 | 29 | 70 pts above |
DGX is trading at 26x earnings, in line with the Healthcare sector's median of 26x.
UNH PE vs Healthcare Sector
| Metric | UNH | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 23x | 26x | 11% below |
| PE % | 47 | 29 | 18 pts above |
UNH has the edge over DGX on valuation relative to its sector.
DGX Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $243.1 | 6.8% above |
| 20 week MA | $235.9 | 10% above |
| 50 week MA | $209.8 | 24% above |
| 100 week MA | $191.5 | 36% above |
| 200 week MA | $165.4 | 57% above |
DGX has the edge over UNH on trend strength, trading above more of its moving averages.
UNH Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $394.2 | 2.8% above |
| 20 week MA | $400.5 | 1.2% above |
| 50 week MA | $361.2 | 12% above |
| 100 week MA | $376.0 | 7.8% above |
| 200 week MA | $446.6 | 9.3% below |
UNH has bounced recently, but its long-term trend is still down: it's above its 8-, 20-, 50- and 100-week averages, but 9.3% below its 200-week average.
DGX Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $106.9 | $120.2 | +13% |
| 2021 | $120.2 | $167.1 | +39% |
| 2022 | $167.1 | $156.3 | -6.4% |
| 2023 | $156.3 | $137.9 | -12% |
| 2024 | $137.9 | $152.6 | +11% |
| 2025 | $152.6 | $175.9 | +15% |
| 2026 YTD | $175.9 | $259.7 | +48% |
DGX has the edge over UNH on returns for 2026, with the stronger performance.
UNH Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $296.0 | $340.8 | +15% |
| 2021 | $340.8 | $495.4 | +45% |
| 2022 | $495.4 | $531.3 | +7.3% |
| 2023 | $531.3 | $526.5 | -0.9% |
| 2024 | $526.5 | $510.0 | -3.1% |
| 2025 | $510.0 | $331.8 | -35% |
| 2026 YTD | $331.8 | $405.1 | +22% |
UNH has finished three years in a row lower, and it's up 22% so far in 2026.