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

Overview Zen Rating Price Value Growth Financials Momentum Sentiment

Diagnostics & Research is Zen Rated C and is the 67th ranked industry out of 145 stock market industries

Ticker	Company	Market Cap	Shares	Institutional %	Insider %	Net Insider (L12M)	Net Insider (L3M)
CDNA	CAREDX INC	$1.11B	51,659,481	77.09%	22.91%	Net Selling	Net Selling
SHC	SOTERA HEALTH CO	$4.46B	285,166,994	86.76%	13.24%	Net Selling	Net Selling
LH	LABCORP HOLDINGS INC	$21.10B	82,000,000	97.41%	1.63%	Net Selling	Net Selling
BNR	BURNING ROCK BIOTECH LTD	$177.02M	105,182,589	1.63%	17.98%	Net Buying	Net Buying
BLLN	BILLIONTOONE INC	$4.33B	45,995,484	18.59%	25.94%	Net Buying
IQV	IQVIA HOLDINGS INC	$29.22B	166,900,000	53.65%	46.35%	Net Selling
ILMN	ILLUMINA INC	$22.04B	151,300,000	93.45%	6.55%	Net Buying	Net Buying
NEOG	NEOGEN CORP	$1.87B	217,673,041	97.83%	2.17%	Net Buying	Net Buying
WAT	WATERS CORP	$34.58B	98,185,855	58.76%	4.95%	Net Selling	Net Selling
DGX	QUEST DIAGNOSTICS INC	$21.05B	110,696,429	95.88%	1.82%	Net Selling	Net Buying
PRPO	PRECIPIO INC	$51.16M	1,783,682	0.59%	99.41%	Net Buying	Net Buying
DHR	DANAHER CORP	$117.67B	707,770,627	76.09%	23.91%	Net Selling	Net Selling
IDXX	IDEXX LABORATORIES INC	$42.12B	78,882,997	98.26%	1.74%	Net Buying	Net Selling
NEO	NEOGENOMICS INC	$1.14B	130,211,780	72.92%	27.08%	Net Buying
TMO	THERMO FISHER SCIENTIFIC INC	$170.69B	371,621,465	99.09%	0.91%	Net Buying	Net Selling
CRL	CHARLES RIVER LABORATORIES INTERNATIONAL INC	$8.13B	48,167,730	96.54%	3.46%	Net Buying	Net Buying
A	AGILENT TECHNOLOGIES INC	$31.91B	282,602,317	90.80%	1.28%	Net Buying	Net Buying
LAB	STANDARD BIOTOOLS INC	$394.27M	390,368,119	49.08%	50.92%	Net Buying	Net Selling
BDSX	BIODESIX INC	$159.21M	10,108,580	3.92%	96.08%	Net Buying	Net Selling
CAI	CARIS LIFE SCIENCES INC	$4.74B	282,680,695	39.99%	60.01%	Net Buying	Net Buying
MEDP	MEDPACE HOLDINGS INC	$11.99B	28,559,689	26.66%	73.34%	Net Selling	Net Buying
RVTY	REVVITY INC	$11.08B	111,559,773	97.23%	2.77%	Net Selling	Net Selling
MTD	METTLER TOLEDO INTERNATIONAL INC	$21.67B	20,207,601	95.44%	4.56%	Net Buying
MYGN	MYRIAD GENETICS INC	$384.40M	94,448,210	89.81%	10.19%	Net Selling	Net Selling
ICLR	ICON PLC	$9.31B	76,359,932	99.47%	0.53%
NTRA	NATERA INC	$29.25B	143,215,382	80.37%	19.63%	Net Selling	Net Buying
QGEN	QIAGEN NV	$6.97B	206,801,000	72.58%	0.00%
GH	GUARDANT HEALTH INC	$13.25B	132,599,929	68.88%	31.12%	Net Selling	Net Selling
TWST	TWIST BIOSCIENCE CORP	$3.48B	62,271,314	88.71%	11.29%	Net Selling	Net Selling
XGN	EXAGEN INC	$89.63M	24,159,839	44.77%	46.87%	Net Selling	Net Buying
ACRS	ACLARIS THERAPEUTICS INC	$681.56M	139,663,680	51.55%	48.45%	Net Selling	Net Selling
GRAL	GRAIL INC	$2.66B	42,916,593	69.70%	18.89%	Net Selling	Net Selling
RDNT	RADNET INC	$4.40B	78,634,236	71.05%	28.95%	Net Selling	Net Selling
PRE	PRENETICS GLOBAL LTD	$303.56M	16,874,089	10.31%	8.26%
STIM	NEURONETICS INC	$88.38M	69,587,840	55.47%	44.53%	Net Selling	Net Buying
MDXH	MDXHEALTH SA	$9.61M	51,364,520	40.43%	59.57%
BIAF	BIOAFFINITY TECHNOLOGIES INC	$8.53M	4,534,906	1.60%	98.40%
CSTL	CASTLE BIOSCIENCES INC	$565.05M	30,329,952	86.05%	13.95%	Net Selling	Net Selling
XWEL	XWELL INC	$11.02M	7,926,766	1.49%	98.51%
ISPC	ISPECIMEN INC	$3.37M	741,556	1.92%	98.08%
PSNL	PERSONALIS INC	$632.52M	104,721,098	68.86%	31.14%	Net Buying
OPK	OPKO HEALTH INC	$830.60M	755,092,256	20.62%	79.38%	Net Buying	Net Buying
VNRX	VOLITIONRX LTD	$18.38M	7,924,062	28.45%	71.55%	Net Buying	Net Selling
IMDX	INSIGHT MOLECULAR DIAGNOSTICS INC	$160.20M	32,167,978	16.66%	83.34%	Net Buying	Net Buying
FLGT	FULGENT GENETICS INC	$448.73M	28,400,623	57.68%	42.32%	Net Selling	Net Selling
NDRA	ENDRA LIFE SCIENCES INC	$7.21M	1,240,751	5.33%	94.67%	Net Buying
BNBX	BNB PLUS CORP	$2.58M	5,447,469	2.37%	97.63%
ADVB	ADVANCED BIOMED INC	$5.66M	1,082,000	4.08%	0.00%
QUCY	QUANTUM CYBER NV	$4.04M	12,515,336	9.20%	14.59%	Net Buying
SERA	SERA PROGNOSTICS INC	$66.18M	39,158,725	45.30%	25.37%	Net Selling	Net Selling
FONR	FONAR CORP	$123.64M	6,555,521	39.45%	3.60%
TRIB	TRINITY BIOTECH PLC	$11.10M	374,206,640	0.23%	0.13%
NOTV	INOTIV INC	$8.62M	34,888,147	21.70%	38.83%	Net Selling	Net Selling
DRIO	DARIOHEALTH CORP	$63.37M	7,300,406	5.02%	94.98%	Net Buying
MBAI	CHECK-CAP LTD	$11.86M	7,020,502	0.39%	0.00%

Diagnostic & Research Stocks FAQ

What are the best diagnostic & research stocks to buy right now in May 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 55 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 Caredx (NASDAQ:CDNA) is: Value: C, Growth: A, Momentum: C, Sentiment: B, Safety: C, Financials: B, and AI: C.

Caredx (NASDAQ:CDNA) has a Due Diligence Score of 34, which is 6 points higher than the diagnostic & research industry average of 28.

CDNA passed 11 out of 33 due diligence checks and has average fundamentals. Caredx has seen its stock return 30.81% over the past year, overperforming other diagnostic & research stocks by 26 percentage points.

Caredx has an average 1 year price target of $24.50, an upside of 14.49% from Caredx's current stock price of $21.40.

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 55 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 Sotera Health Co (NASDAQ:SHC) is: Value: C, Growth: B, Momentum: C, Sentiment: C, Safety: B, Financials: C, and AI: C.

Sotera Health Co (NASDAQ:SHC) has a Due Diligence Score of 38, which is 10 points higher than the diagnostic & research industry average of 28.

SHC passed 13 out of 33 due diligence checks and has average fundamentals. Sotera Health Co has seen its stock return 15.78% over the past year, overperforming other diagnostic & research stocks by 11 percentage points.

Sotera Health Co has an average 1 year price target of $21.75, an upside of 39.16% from Sotera Health Co's current stock price of $15.63.

Sotera Health Co stock has a consensus Strong Buy recommendation according to Wall Street analysts. Of the 4 analysts covering Sotera Health Co, 75% have issued a Strong Buy rating, 25% have issued a Buy, 0% have issued a hold, while 0% have issued a Sell rating, and 0% have issued a Strong Sell.

3. Labcorp Holdings (NYSE:LH)

Labcorp Holdings (NYSE:LH) is the #3 top diagnostic & research stock out of 55 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 Labcorp Holdings (NYSE:LH) is: Value: C, Growth: C, Momentum: C, Sentiment: C, Safety: A, Financials: C, and AI: B.

Labcorp Holdings (NYSE:LH) has a Due Diligence Score of 44, which is 16 points higher than the diagnostic & research industry average of 28.

LH passed 16 out of 38 due diligence checks and has strong fundamentals. Labcorp Holdings has seen its stock return 2.55% over the past year, underperforming other diagnostic & research stocks by -3 percentage points.

Labcorp Holdings has an average 1 year price target of $314.00, an upside of 22.01% from Labcorp Holdings's current stock price of $257.35.

Labcorp Holdings stock has a consensus Buy recommendation according to Wall Street analysts. Of the 4 analysts covering Labcorp Holdings, 25% have issued a Strong Buy rating, 50% have issued a Buy, 25% 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 1.71%, which is 1 percentage points higher than the diagnostic & research industry average of 0.87%. 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 35.6% indicates that its dividend yield is sustainable for the long-term.

2. Labcorp Holdings (NYSE:LH)

Labcorp Holdings (NYSE:LH) has an annual dividend yield of 1.12%, which is the same as the diagnostic & research industry average of 0.87%. 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 25.4% indicates that its dividend yield is sustainable for the long-term.

3. Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A)

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A) has an annual dividend yield of 0.89%, which is the same as the diagnostic & research industry average of 0.87%. 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 22% indicates that its dividend yield is sustainable for the long-term.

Why are diagnostic & research stocks up?

Diagnostic & research stocks were up 0.42% in the last day, and down -4.98% over the last week.

We couldn't find a catalyst for why diagnostic & research stocks are up.

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 -21.55% in the past year. It has underperformed other stocks in the diagnostic & research industry by -27 percentage points.

2. Icon (NASDAQ:ICLR)

Icon (NASDAQ:ICLR) is the second 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 71, which is 58 points higher than the diagnostic & research industry average of 13. It passed 5 out of 7 valuation due diligence checks.

Icon's stock has dropped -13.04% in the past year. It has underperformed other stocks in the diagnostic & research industry by -18 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 14, which is 1 points higher than the diagnostic & research industry average of 13. It passed 1 out of 7 valuation due diligence checks.

Thermo Fisher Scientific's stock has gained 6.17% in the past year. It has overperformed other stocks in the diagnostic & research industry by 1 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 rise by 28.72% over the next year.

2.22% of diagnostic & research stocks have a Zen Rating of A (Strong Buy), 22.22% of diagnostic & research stocks are rated B (Buy), 55.56% are rated C (Hold), 17.78% are rated D (Sell), and 2.22% 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 15.41x.

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.