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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
OverviewZen RatingPriceValueGrowthFinancialsMomentumSentimentForecastDividends
Due Diligence
B
Diagnostics & Research is Zen Rated B and is the 41st ranked industry out of 145 stock market industries
Learn how the Zen Ratings work
Ticker
Company
Market Cap
Dividend Yield
Payout Ratio
Last Dividend
Annual Dividend
Dividend Percentile
Dividend Dropped Count (L10Y)
Ex-dividend Date
Div. Payment Date
SHC
SOTERA HEALTH CO
$5.18BN/A0.00%N/AN/AN/AN/A
CDNA
CAREDX INC
$4.59BN/A0.00%N/AN/AN/AN/A
NEOG
NEOGEN CORP
$2.58BN/A0.00%N/AN/AN/AN/A
DGX
QUEST DIAGNOSTICS INC
$27.71B1.34%33.20%$0.8600$3.3828%0
TMO
THERMO FISHER SCIENTIFIC INC
$257.71B0.26%9.70%$0.4700$1.843%0
LH
LABCORP HOLDINGS INC
$29.31B0.80%23.70%$0.7200$2.8814%02026-11-242026-12-11
A
AGILENT TECHNOLOGIES INC
$49.30B0.58%19.90%$0.2550$1.0210%0
ILMN
ILLUMINA INC
$35.63BN/A0.00%N/AN/AN/AN/A
DHR
DANAHER CORP
$163.38B0.65%24.80%$0.4000$1.5211%1
CSTL
CASTLE BIOSCIENCES INC
$1.14BN/A0.00%N/AN/AN/AN/A
WAT
WATERS CORP
$45.46BN/A0.00%N/AN/AN/AN/A
IQV
IQVIA HOLDINGS INC
$44.06BN/A0.00%N/AN/AN/AN/A
NEO
NEOGENOMICS INC
$2.25BN/A0.00%N/AN/AN/AN/A
IDXX
IDEXX LABORATORIES INC
$43.42BN/A0.00%N/AN/AN/AN/A
RVTY
REVVITY INC
$17.52B0.18%13.40%$0.0700$0.282%02026-11-13
MTD
METTLER TOLEDO INTERNATIONAL INC
$33.56BN/A0.00%N/AN/AN/AN/A
BDSX
BIODESIX INC
$245.37MN/A0.00%N/AN/AN/AN/A
XGN
EXAGEN INC
$208.10MN/A0.00%N/AN/AN/AN/A
MEDP
MEDPACE HOLDINGS INC
$18.24BN/A0.00%N/AN/AN/AN/A
BNR
BURNING ROCK BIOTECH LTD
$118.38MN/A0.00%N/AN/AN/AN/A
RDNT
RADNET INC
$5.78BN/A0.00%N/AN/AN/AN/A
CRL
CHARLES RIVER LABORATORIES INTERNATIONAL INC
$17.16BN/A0.00%N/AN/AN/AN/A
OPK
OPKO HEALTH INC
$1.24BN/A0.00%N/AN/AN/AN/A
NTRA
NATERA INC
$59.72BN/A0.00%N/AN/AN/AN/A
BLLN
BILLIONTOONE INC
$5.35BN/A0.00%N/AN/AN/AN/A
PRPO
PRECIPIO INC
$32.40MN/A0.00%N/AN/AN/AN/A
TWST
TWIST BIOSCIENCE CORP
$9.58BN/A0.00%N/AN/AN/AN/A
QGEN
QIAGEN NV
$10.39B4.56%243.60%$2.2900$2.2978%0
ICLR
ICON PLC
$15.83BN/A0.00%N/AN/AN/AN/A
STIM
NEURONETICS INC
$171.44MN/A0.00%N/AN/AN/AN/A
QUCY
QUANTUM CYBER NV
$70.62MN/A0.00%N/AN/AN/AN/A
GH
GUARDANT HEALTH INC
$23.99BN/A0.00%N/AN/AN/AN/A
GRAL
GRAIL INC
$6.41BN/A0.00%N/AN/AN/AN/A
ACRS
ACLARIS THERAPEUTICS INC
$584.38MN/A0.00%N/AN/AN/AN/A
BIAF
BIOAFFINITY TECHNOLOGIES INC
$1.57MN/A0.00%N/AN/AN/AN/A
ADVB
ADVANCED BIOMED INC
$3.80MN/A0.00%N/AN/AN/AN/A
MYGN
MYRIAD GENETICS INC
$607.38MN/A0.00%N/AN/AN/AN/A
IMDX
INSIGHT MOLECULAR DIAGNOSTICS INC
$96.86MN/A0.00%N/AN/AN/AN/A
FLGT
FULGENT GENETICS INC
$567.37MN/A0.00%N/AN/AN/AN/A
FRNM
FREENOME INC
$1.34BN/A0.00%N/AN/AN/AN/A
NDRA
ENDRA LIFE SCIENCES INC
$7.12MN/A0.00%N/AN/AN/AN/A
MDXH
MDXHEALTH SA
$837.24kN/A0.00%N/AN/AN/AN/A
SERA
SERA PROGNOSTICS INC
$80.48MN/A0.00%N/AN/AN/AN/A
TRIB
TRINITY BIOTECH PLC
$3.90MN/A0.00%N/AN/AN/AN/A
MBAI
MBODY AI LTD
$1.89MN/A0.00%N/AN/AN/AN/A
ISPC
ISPECIMEN INC
$2.08MN/A0.00%N/AN/AN/AN/A
VNRX
VOLITIONRX LTD
$2.66MN/A0.00%N/AN/AN/AN/A
DRIO
DARIOHEALTH CORP
$29.40MN/A0.00%N/AN/AN/AN/A
PSNL
PERSONALIS INC
$1.69BN/A0.00%N/AN/AN/AN/A
XWEL
XWELL INC
$5.93MN/A0.00%N/AN/AN/AN/A
1

Diagnostic & Research Stocks FAQ

What are the best diagnostic & research stocks to buy right now in Oct 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. Sotera Health Co (NASDAQ:SHC)


Sotera Health Co (NASDAQ:SHC) 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 Sotera Health Co (NASDAQ:SHC) is: Value: B, Growth: C, Momentum: C, Sentiment: C, 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 11.08% over the past year, underperforming other diagnostic & research stocks by -18 percentage points.

Sotera Health Co has an average 1 year price target of $21.80, an upside of 20.11% from Sotera Health Co's current stock price of $18.15.

Sotera Health Co stock has a consensus 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, 0% have issued a hold, while 0% have issued a Sell rating, and 20% have issued a Strong Sell.

2. Caredx (NASDAQ:CDNA)


Caredx (NASDAQ:CDNA) is the #2 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 Caredx (NASDAQ:CDNA) is: Value: C, Growth: B, Momentum: A, Sentiment: A, Safety: C, Financials: C, and AI: C.

Caredx (NASDAQ:CDNA) has a Due Diligence Score of 48, which is 19 points higher than the diagnostic & research industry average of 29.

CDNA passed 16 out of 33 due diligence checks and has strong fundamentals. Caredx has seen its stock return 504.08% over the past year, overperforming other diagnostic & research stocks by 475 percentage points.

Caredx has an average 1 year price target of $72.67, a downside of -16.87% from Caredx's current stock price of $87.41.

Caredx stock has a consensus Strong Buy recommendation according to Wall Street analysts. Of the 3 analysts covering Caredx, 66.67% have issued a Strong Buy rating, 0% have issued a Buy, 33.33% have issued a hold, while 0% have issued a Sell rating, and 0% have issued a Strong Sell.

3. Neogen (NASDAQ:NEOG)


Neogen (NASDAQ:NEOG) 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 Neogen (NASDAQ:NEOG) is: Value: C, Growth: A, Momentum: B, Sentiment: C, Safety: C, Financials: C, and AI: C.

Neogen (NASDAQ:NEOG) has a Due Diligence Score of 13, which is -16 points lower than the diagnostic & research industry average of 29. Although this number is below the industry average, our proven quant model rates NEOG as a "B".

NEOG passed 4 out of 33 due diligence checks and has weak fundamentals. Neogen has seen its stock return 97% over the past year, overperforming other diagnostic & research stocks by 68 percentage points.

Neogen has an average 1 year price target of $14.00, an upside of 18.44% from Neogen's current stock price of $11.82.

Neogen stock has a consensus Strong Buy recommendation according to Wall Street analysts. Of the 2 analysts covering Neogen, 100% have issued a Strong Buy rating, 0% have issued a Buy, 0% 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 4.56%, which is 3 percentage points higher than the diagnostic & research industry average of 1.2%.

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 1.34%, which is the same as the diagnostic & research industry average of 1.2%. 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 33.2% 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 0.8%, which is the same as the diagnostic & research industry average of 1.2%. 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 -3.66% in the last day, and up 1.62% over the last week. Illumina was the among the top losers in the diagnostics & research industry, dropping -18.64% yesterday.

Illumina shares are trading lower after the company reported mixed Q3 financial results. Also, Evercore ISI Group lowered its price target ont he stock from $290 to $275.

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 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 17 points higher than the diagnostic & research industry average of 12. It passed 2 out of 7 valuation due diligence checks.

Qiagen Nv's stock has gained 8.4% in the past year. It has underperformed other stocks in the diagnostic & research industry by -21 percentage points.

2. Sotera Health Co (NASDAQ:SHC)


Sotera Health Co (NASDAQ:SHC) 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.

Sotera Health Co has a valuation score of 14, which is 2 points higher than the diagnostic & research industry average of 12. It passed 1 out of 7 valuation due diligence checks.

Sotera Health Co's stock has gained 11.08% in the past year. It has underperformed other stocks in the diagnostic & research industry by -18 percentage points.

3. Danaher (NYSE:DHR)


Danaher (NYSE:DHR) 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.

Danaher has a valuation score of 29, which is 17 points higher than the diagnostic & research industry average of 12. It passed 2 out of 7 valuation due diligence checks.

Danaher's stock has gained 7.99% in the past year. It has underperformed other stocks in the diagnostic & research industry by -21 percentage points.

Are diagnostic & research stocks a good buy now?

57.14% of diagnostic & research stocks rated by analysts are a strong buy right now. On average, analysts expect diagnostic & research stocks to fall by -0.51% over the next year.

2.5% of diagnostic & research stocks have a Zen Rating of A (Strong Buy), 27.5% of diagnostic & research stocks are rated B (Buy), 57.5% are rated C (Hold), 12.5% 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 11.13x.
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