Sectors & Industries HealthcareDiagnostics & Research
Best Diagnostic & Research Stocks to Buy Now (2026)
Top diagnostic & research stocks in 2026 ranked by overall Zen Rating. "A" Rated stocks have returned an average of +28.50% per year, and are the best diagnostic & research stocks to buy now. Learn More.

Industry: Diagnostics & Research

Overview Zen Rating Price Value Growth Financials Momentum Sentiment

Diagnostics & Research is Zen Rated B and is the 36th ranked industry out of 145 stock market industries

Ticker	Company	Market Cap	Shares	Institutional %	Insider %	Net Insider (L12M)	Net Insider (L3M)
CDNA	CAREDX INC	$2.59B	51,734,223	0.10%	29.98%	Net Selling	Net Selling
SHC	SOTERA HEALTH CO	$5.39B	285,374,795	0.10%	4.47%	Net Selling	Net Selling
A	AGILENT TECHNOLOGIES INC	$43.37B	282,431,944	0.09%	1.28%	Net Selling	Net Selling
NEOG	NEOGEN CORP	$2.52B	218,056,016	0.11%	1.94%	Net Buying	Net Buying
DGX	QUEST DIAGNOSTICS INC	$26.52B	110,373,360	0.10%	1.82%	Net Selling	Net Selling
ILMN	ILLUMINA INC	$32.26B	151,000,000	0.10%	9.26%	Net Selling	Net Selling
TMO	THERMO FISHER SCIENTIFIC INC	$228.17B	369,747,286	0.09%	0.93%	Net Buying	Net Selling
NEO	NEOGENOMICS INC	$2.30B	128,475,440	0.11%	37.94%	Net Selling	Net Selling
LH	LABCORP HOLDINGS INC	$26.98B	81,100,000	0.10%	1.63%	Net Selling	Net Selling
WAT	WATERS CORP	$40.74B	98,248,111	0.10%	4.95%	Net Selling	Net Selling
IQV	IQVIA HOLDINGS INC	$42.99B	164,600,000	0.10%	84.74%	Net Selling	Net Selling
NTRA	NATERA INC	$46.41B	144,144,170	0.10%	22.13%	Net Selling	Net Selling
IDXX	IDEXX LABORATORIES INC	$43.86B	78,781,116	0.09%	1.82%	Net Selling	Net Buying
BDSX	BIODESIX INC	$277.97M	10,551,118	0.01%	99.99%	Net Buying	Net Buying
CSTL	CASTLE BIOSCIENCES INC	$1.01B	30,549,507	0.09%	15.33%	Net Selling	Net Selling
MTD	METTLER TOLEDO INTERNATIONAL INC	$28.15B	20,036,559	0.10%	5.13%	Net Buying	Net Buying
CRL	CHARLES RIVER LABORATORIES INTERNATIONAL INC	$13.76B	47,738,872	0.12%	4.28%	Net Selling	Net Selling
RVTY	REVVITY INC	$14.36B	111,586,401	0.10%	3.01%	Net Selling	Net Selling
XGN	EXAGEN INC	$177.81M	24,225,339	0.03%	46.74%	Net Selling
DHR	DANAHER CORP	$150.13B	702,986,054	0.08%	26.19%	Net Selling	Net Selling
MEDP	MEDPACE HOLDINGS INC	$16.58B	27,911,655	0.04%	99.96%	Net Selling	Net Selling
ICLR	ICON PLC	$12.73B	77,154,209	0.10%	0.54%	Net Selling	Net Selling
OPK	OPKO HEALTH INC	$1.10B	746,328,225	0.03%	99.97%	Net Buying	Net Selling
BLLN	BILLIONTOONE INC	$4.28B	47,187,038	0.03%	18.84%	Net Selling	Net Selling
PRPO	PRECIPIO INC	$49.57M	1,790,188	0.00%	100.00%	Net Selling	Net Buying
TWST	TWIST BIOSCIENCE CORP	$8.72B	62,707,424	0.12%	14.91%	Net Selling	Net Selling
RDNT	RADNET INC	$5.97B	78,697,257	0.10%	39.43%	Net Selling	Net Selling
STIM	NEURONETICS INC	$216.40M	76,197,222	0.05%	46.40%	Net Buying	Net Buying
QGEN	QIAGEN NV	$8.95B	206,801,000	0.07%	0.00%
QUCY	QUANTUM CYBER NV	$131.99M	84,068,192	0.00%	68.12%	Net Buying	Net Buying
GH	GUARDANT HEALTH INC	$21.34B	134,196,170	0.10%	43.85%	Net Selling	Net Selling
ADVB	ADVANCED BIOMED INC	$13.06M	1,382,133	0.00%	0.00%	Net Selling	Net Selling
GRAL	GRAIL INC	$3.55B	44,666,234	0.09%	18.61%	Net Selling	Net Buying
BIAF	BIOAFFINITY TECHNOLOGIES INC	$2.46M	540,115	0.02%	99.98%
ACRS	ACLARIS THERAPEUTICS INC	$890.55M	147,198,893	0.08%	53.53%	Net Selling	Net Selling
MDXH	MDXHEALTH SA	$3.70M	51,364,520	0.03%	83.20%	Net Buying	Net Buying
IMDX	INSIGHT MOLECULAR DIAGNOSTICS INC	$128.28M	32,724,284	0.02%	99.98%	Net Buying	Net Selling
MYGN	MYRIAD GENETICS INC	$307.99M	95,649,645	0.09%	11.69%	Net Selling	Net Selling
FLGT	FULGENT GENETICS INC	$532.97M	27,515,293	0.06%	49.29%	Net Selling	Net Selling
SERA	SERA PROGNOSTICS INC	$83.63M	39,449,466	0.04%	25.58%	Net Selling	Net Selling
DRIO	DARIOHEALTH CORP	$72.22M	9,799,481	0.01%	99.99%	Net Buying	Net Buying
BNR	BURNING ROCK BIOTECH LTD	$99.41M	105,195,874	0.00%	18.67%	Net Buying	Net Buying
VNRX	VOLITIONRX LTD	$5.92M	13,649,384	0.00%	100.00%	Net Buying
TRIB	TRINITY BIOTECH PLC	$6.16M	12,473,555	0.01%	3.98%
NDRA	ENDRA LIFE SCIENCES INC	$7.51M	1,499,838	0.01%	85.02%	Net Buying
ISPC	ISPECIMEN INC	$3.88M	2,518,590	0.00%	100.00%
PSNL	PERSONALIS INC	$1.79B	106,799,872	0.08%	34.33%	Net Buying	Net Buying
FRNM	FREENOME INC	$1.58B	107,021,669	0.01%	24.63%	Net Buying	Net Buying
MBAI	CHECK-CAP LTD	$6.63M	1,002,929	0.01%	0.00%
XWEL	XWELL INC	$7.84M	8,589,266	0.00%	100.00%

Diagnostic & Research Stocks FAQ

What are the best diagnostic & research stocks to buy right now in Sep 2026?

According to Zen Ratings, our proprietary rating system that evaluates 115 factors proven to drive growth in stocks and assigns each stock in our system an overall letter grade as well as 7 individual Component Grades for Value, Growth, Momentum, Sentiment, Safety, Financials, and proprietary AI algorithms, the 3 best diagnostic & research stocks to buy right now are:

1. Caredx (NASDAQ:CDNA)

Caredx (NASDAQ:CDNA) is the #1 top diagnostic & research stock out of 50 with a Zen Rating of A. Stocks with a rating of A have had an average return of +28.5% per year. Learn more.

The Component Grade breakdown for Caredx (NASDAQ:CDNA) is: Value: C, Growth: B, Momentum: B, Sentiment: B, Safety: C, Financials: A, and AI: C.

Caredx (NASDAQ:CDNA) has a Due Diligence Score of 51, which is 22 points higher than the diagnostic & research industry average of 29.

CDNA passed 17 out of 33 due diligence checks and has strong fundamentals. Caredx has seen its stock return 261.81% over the past year, overperforming other diagnostic & research stocks by 239 percentage points.

Caredx has an average 1 year price target of $53.00, an upside of 5.77% from Caredx's current stock price of $50.11.

Caredx stock has a consensus Buy recommendation according to Wall Street analysts. Of the 2 analysts covering Caredx, 50% have issued a Strong Buy rating, 0% have issued a Buy, 50% have issued a hold, while 0% have issued a Sell rating, and 0% have issued a Strong Sell.

2. Sotera Health Co (NASDAQ:SHC)

Sotera Health Co (NASDAQ:SHC) is the #2 top diagnostic & research stock out of 50 with a Zen Rating of A. Stocks with a rating of A have had an average return of +28.5% per year. Learn more.

The Component Grade breakdown for Sotera Health Co (NASDAQ:SHC) is: Value: B, Growth: C, Momentum: C, Sentiment: B, Safety: B, Financials: B, and AI: C.

Sotera Health Co (NASDAQ:SHC) has a Due Diligence Score of 40, which is 11 points higher than the diagnostic & research industry average of 29.

SHC passed 14 out of 33 due diligence checks and has average fundamentals. Sotera Health Co has seen its stock return 16.96% over the past year, underperforming other diagnostic & research stocks by -6 percentage points.

Sotera Health Co has an average 1 year price target of $22.00, an upside of 16.4% from Sotera Health Co's current stock price of $18.90.

Sotera Health Co stock has a consensus Strong Buy recommendation according to Wall Street analysts. Of the 5 analysts covering Sotera Health Co, 80% have issued a Strong Buy rating, 0% have issued a Buy, 20% have issued a hold, while 0% have issued a Sell rating, and 0% have issued a Strong Sell.

3. Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A)

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A) is the #3 top diagnostic & research stock out of 50 with a Zen Rating of B. Stocks with a rating of B have had an average return of +17.17% per year. Learn more.

The Component Grade breakdown for Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A) is: Value: B, Growth: C, Momentum: C, Sentiment: B, Safety: A, Financials: B, and AI: C.

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A) has a Due Diligence Score of 51, which is 22 points higher than the diagnostic & research industry average of 29.

A passed 19 out of 38 due diligence checks and has strong fundamentals. Agilent Technologies has seen its stock return 22.64% over the past year.

Agilent Technologies has an average 1 year price target of $171.44, an upside of 11.64% from Agilent Technologies's current stock price of $153.56.

Agilent Technologies stock has a consensus Strong Buy recommendation according to Wall Street analysts. Of the 17 analysts covering Agilent Technologies, 64.71% have issued a Strong Buy rating, 23.53% have issued a Buy, 11.76% have issued a hold, while 0% have issued a Sell rating, and 0% have issued a Strong Sell.

What are the diagnostic & research stocks with highest dividends?

Out of 7 diagnostic & research stocks that have issued dividends in the past year, the 3 diagnostic & research stocks with the highest dividend yields are:

1. Qiagen Nv (NYSE:QGEN)

Qiagen Nv (NYSE:QGEN) has an annual dividend yield of 5.29%, which is 4 percentage points higher than the diagnostic & research industry average of 1.34%.

Qiagen Nv's dividend payout ratio of 243.6% indicates that its high dividend yield might not be sustainable for the long-term.

2. Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX)

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) has an annual dividend yield of 1.38%, which is the same as the diagnostic & research industry average of 1.34%. Quest Diagnostics's dividend payout is stable, having never dropped by more than 10% in the last 10 years. Quest Diagnostics's dividend has shown consistent growth over the last 10 years.

Quest Diagnostics's dividend payout ratio of 34.8% indicates that its dividend yield is sustainable for the long-term.

3. Labcorp Holdings (NYSE:LH)

Labcorp Holdings (NYSE:LH) has an annual dividend yield of 0.87%, which is the same as the diagnostic & research industry average of 1.34%. Labcorp Holdings's dividend payout is stable, having never dropped by more than 10% in the last 10 years. Labcorp Holdings's dividend has not shown consistent growth over the last 10 years.

Labcorp Holdings's dividend payout ratio of 23.7% indicates that its dividend yield is sustainable for the long-term.

Why are diagnostic & research stocks down?

Diagnostic & research stocks were down -0.54% in the last day, and down -1.12% over the last week. Volitionrx was the among the top losers in the diagnostics & research industry, dropping -3.34% yesterday.

VolitionRX shares are trading lower after the company filed a prospectus for an offering of 10 million shares.

What are the most undervalued diagnostic & research stocks?

Based on the Valuation rating, one of the 7 components of a stocks overall Zen Ratings grade, which evaluates factors including estimated earnings yield, earnings before interest and taxes/enterprise value, cash flow yield, free cash flow to price, and price-to-earnings growth (PEG ratio), the 3 most undervalued diagnostic & research stocks right now are:

1. Qiagen Nv (NYSE:QGEN)

Qiagen Nv (NYSE:QGEN) is the most undervalued diagnostic & research stock based on its Valuation Rating of A. Valuation is one of 7 Component Grades used to calculate the overall Zen Rating.

Qiagen Nv has a valuation score of 29, which is 16 points higher than the diagnostic & research industry average of 13. It passed 2 out of 7 valuation due diligence checks.

Qiagen Nv's stock has dropped -7.74% in the past year. It has underperformed other stocks in the diagnostic & research industry by -31 percentage points.

2. Icon (NASDAQ:ICLR)

Icon (NASDAQ:ICLR) is the second most undervalued diagnostic & research stock based on its Valuation Rating of B. Valuation is one of 7 Component Grades used to calculate the overall Zen Rating.

Icon has a valuation score of 43, which is 30 points higher than the diagnostic & research industry average of 13. It passed 3 out of 7 valuation due diligence checks.

Icon's stock has dropped -7.23% in the past year. It has underperformed other stocks in the diagnostic & research industry by -30 percentage points.

3. Thermo Fisher Scientific (NYSE:TMO)

Thermo Fisher Scientific (NYSE:TMO) is the third most undervalued diagnostic & research stock based on its Valuation Rating of B. Valuation is one of 7 Component Grades used to calculate the overall Zen Rating.

Thermo Fisher Scientific has a valuation score of 29, which is 16 points higher than the diagnostic & research industry average of 13. It passed 2 out of 7 valuation due diligence checks.

Thermo Fisher Scientific's stock has gained 26.58% in the past year. It has overperformed other stocks in the diagnostic & research industry by 4 percentage points.

Are diagnostic & research stocks a good buy now?

53.66% of diagnostic & research stocks rated by analysts are a strong buy right now. On average, analysts expect diagnostic & research stocks to rise by 2.82% over the next year.

5.13% of diagnostic & research stocks have a Zen Rating of A (Strong Buy), 17.95% of diagnostic & research stocks are rated B (Buy), 66.67% are rated C (Hold), 10.26% are rated D (Sell), and 0% are rated F (Strong Sell).

What is the average p/e ratio of the diagnostics & research industry?

The average P/E ratio of the diagnostics & research industry is 14.49x.

WallStreetZen does not provide financial advice and does not issue recommendations or offers to buy stock or sell any security.

Information is provided 'as-is' and solely for informational purposes and is not advice. WallStreetZen does not bear any responsibility for any losses or damage that may occur as a result of reliance on this data.

Diagnostic & Research Stocks FAQ

1. Caredx (NASDAQ:CDNA)

2. Sotera Health Co (NASDAQ:SHC)

3. Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A)

1. Qiagen Nv (NYSE:QGEN)

2. Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX)

3. Labcorp Holdings (NYSE:LH)

1. Qiagen Nv (NYSE:QGEN)

2. Icon (NASDAQ:ICLR)

3. Thermo Fisher Scientific (NYSE:TMO)

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