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 +32.52% per year, and are the best diagnostic & research stocks to buy now. Learn More.

Industry: Diagnostics & Research

Price Value Growth Financials Momentum Sentiment Forecast Dividends Due Diligence

Diagnostics & Research is Zen Rated B and is the 30th ranked industry out of 145 stock market industries

Ticker	Company	Zen Rating	Value	Growth	Momentum	Sentiment	Safety	Financials	AI	1w Zen Rating	1m Zen Rating	3m Zen Rating	1y Zen Rating
ILMN	ILLUMINA INC	A	B	C	C	B	B	A	B	A	B	B	A
SHC	SOTERA HEALTH CO	A	C	C	C	C	B	B	C	A	A	A	C
IDXX	IDEXX LABORATORIES INC	B	C	C	C	B	C	A	B	A	B	B	C
A	AGILENT TECHNOLOGIES INC	B	B	C	C	C	A	B	B	B	B	B	B
RVTY	REVVITY INC	B	B	C	C	B	B	C	C	C	C	C	B

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Use the proven Zen Ratings quant model to find stocks with high potential to beat the market. Stocks Zen-Rated "A" have beaten the market by +32.52% annually. Learn More

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Diagnostic & Research Stocks FAQ

What are the best diagnostic & research stocks to buy right now in Mar 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. Illumina (NASDAQ:ILMN)

Illumina (NASDAQ:ILMN) is the #1 top diagnostic & research stock out of 56 with a Zen Rating of A. Stocks with a rating of A have had an average return of +32.52% per year. Learn more.

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

Illumina (NASDAQ:ILMN) has a Due Diligence Score of 37, which is 10 points higher than the diagnostic & research industry average of 27.

ILMN passed 12 out of 33 due diligence checks and has average fundamentals. Illumina has seen its stock return 51.13% over the past year, overperforming other diagnostic & research stocks by 40 percentage points.

Illumina has an average 1 year price target of $138.60, an upside of 3.08% from Illumina's current stock price of $134.46.

Illumina stock has a consensus Buy recommendation according to Wall Street analysts. Of the 10 analysts covering Illumina, 30% have issued a Strong Buy rating, 10% have issued a Buy, 50% have issued a hold, while 0% have issued a Sell rating, and 10% 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 56 with a Zen Rating of A. Stocks with a rating of A have had an average return of +32.52% per year. Learn more.

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

Sotera Health Co (NASDAQ:SHC) has a Due Diligence Score of 30, which is 3 points higher than the diagnostic & research industry average of 27.

SHC passed 10 out of 33 due diligence checks and has average fundamentals. Sotera Health Co has seen its stock return 32.33% over the past year, overperforming other diagnostic & research stocks by 21 percentage points.

Sotera Health Co has an average 1 year price target of $21.40, an upside of 31.69% from Sotera Health Co's current stock price of $16.25.

Sotera Health Co stock has a consensus Strong Buy recommendation according to Wall Street analysts. Of the 5 analysts covering Sotera Health Co, 60% have issued a Strong Buy rating, 20% have issued a Buy, 20% have issued a hold, while 0% have issued a Sell rating, and 0% have issued a Strong Sell.

3. Idexx Laboratories (NASDAQ:IDXX)

Idexx Laboratories (NASDAQ:IDXX) is the #3 top diagnostic & research stock out of 56 with a Zen Rating of B. Stocks with a rating of B have had an average return of +19.88% per year. Learn more.

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

Idexx Laboratories (NASDAQ:IDXX) has a Due Diligence Score of 53, which is 26 points higher than the diagnostic & research industry average of 27.

IDXX passed 18 out of 33 due diligence checks and has strong fundamentals. Idexx Laboratories has seen its stock return 48.91% over the past year, overperforming other diagnostic & research stocks by 38 percentage points.

Idexx Laboratories has an average 1 year price target of $765.71, an upside of 16.59% from Idexx Laboratories's current stock price of $656.73.

Idexx Laboratories stock has a consensus Strong Buy recommendation according to Wall Street analysts. Of the 7 analysts covering Idexx Laboratories, 71.43% have issued a Strong Buy rating, 0% have issued a Buy, 28.57% 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 6 diagnostic & research stocks that have issued dividends in the past year, the 3 diagnostic & research stocks with the highest dividend yields are:

1. Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX)

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) has an annual dividend yield of 1.51%, which is 1 percentage points higher than the diagnostic & research industry average of 0.72%. 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 36.1% indicates that its dividend yield is sustainable for the long-term.

2. Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A)

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A) has an annual dividend yield of 0.82%, which is the same as the diagnostic & research industry average of 0.72%. Agilent Technologies's dividend payout is stable, having never dropped by more than 10% in the last 10 years. Agilent Technologies's dividend has shown consistent growth over the last 10 years.

Agilent Technologies's dividend payout ratio of 21.6% 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 0.75%, which is the same as the diagnostic & research industry average of 0.72%. 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 27.3% indicates that its dividend yield is sustainable for the long-term.

Why are diagnostic & research stocks down?

Diagnostic & research stocks were down -0.22% in the last day, and up 0.66% over the last week. Fulgent Genetics was the among the top losers in the diagnostics & research industry, dropping -38.09% yesterday.

Fulgent Genetics shares are trading lower after the company reported mixed Q4 financial results. The company also issued FY26 guidance below estimates.

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. Icon (NASDAQ:ICLR)

Icon (NASDAQ:ICLR) 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.

Icon has a valuation score of 100, which is 84 points higher than the diagnostic & research industry average of 16. It passed 7 out of 7 valuation due diligence checks.

Icon's stock has dropped -42.97% in the past year. It has underperformed other stocks in the diagnostic & research industry by -54 percentage points.

2. Qiagen Nv (NYSE:QGEN)

Qiagen Nv (NYSE:QGEN) 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.

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

Qiagen Nv's stock has gained 29.69% in the past year. It has overperformed other stocks in the diagnostic & research industry by 19 percentage points.

3. Revvity (NYSE:RVTY)

Revvity (NYSE:RVTY) 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.

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

Revvity's stock has dropped -10.99% in the past year. It has underperformed other stocks in the diagnostic & research industry by -22 percentage points.

Are diagnostic & research stocks a good buy now?

50% of diagnostic & research stocks rated by analysts are a strong buy right now. On average, analysts expect diagnostic & research stocks to rise by 20.09% over the next year.

4.76% of diagnostic & research stocks have a Zen Rating of A (Strong Buy), 28.57% of diagnostic & research stocks are rated B (Buy), 64.29% are rated C (Hold), 2.38% 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 16.26x.

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.