Head to Head Comparison: Auna (NYSE:AUNA) & Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX)

Auna (NYSE:AUNA) and Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) are both healthcare companies, but which is the superior stock? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their dividends, risk, analyst recommendations, profitability, institutional ownership, earnings and valuation.

Profitability

This table compares Auna and Quest Diagnostics’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Auna	0.44%	12.88%	3.24%
Quest Diagnostics	9.18%	16.01%	7.27%

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares Auna and Quest Diagnostics”s top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Auna	$1.23 billion	0.31	$27.39 million	$0.07	74.79
Quest Diagnostics	$11.04 billion	2.47	$992.00 million	$9.42	26.26

Quest Diagnostics has higher revenue and earnings than Auna. Quest Diagnostics is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Auna, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Risk & Volatility

Auna has a beta of 0.62, indicating that its share price is 38% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Quest Diagnostics has a beta of 0.55, indicating that its share price is 45% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of recent ratings and price targets for Auna and Quest Diagnostics, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Auna	1	2	1	1	2.40
Quest Diagnostics	0	7	5	1	2.54

Auna currently has a consensus price target of $6.97, indicating a potential upside of 33.08%. Quest Diagnostics has a consensus price target of $236.31, indicating a potential downside of 4.49%. Given Auna’s higher possible upside, equities research analysts plainly believe Auna is more favorable than Quest Diagnostics.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

88.1% of Quest Diagnostics shares are held by institutional investors. 0.9% of Quest Diagnostics shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Summary

Quest Diagnostics beats Auna on 11 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Auna

Auna S.A., a healthcare service provider, operates hospitals and clinics in Mexico, Peru, and Colombia. The company provides prepaid healthcare plans in Peru; and dental and vision plans in Mexico. The company was founded in 1989 and is based in Luxembourg, Luxembourg.

About Quest Diagnostics

Quest Diagnostics Incorporated provides diagnostic testing and services in the United States and internationally. The company develops and delivers diagnostic information services, such as routine, non-routine and advanced clinical testing, anatomic pathology testing, and other diagnostic information services. It offers diagnostic information services primarily under the Quest Diagnostics brand, as well as under the AmeriPath, Dermpath Diagnostics, ExamOne, and Quanum brands to physicians, hospitals, patients and consumers, health plans, government agencies, employers, retailers, pharmaceutical companies and insurers, and accountable care organizations through a network of laboratories, patient service centers, phlebotomists in physician offices, call centers and mobile phlebotomists, nurses, and other health and wellness professionals. The company also provides risk assessment services for the life insurance industry; and healthcare organizations and clinicians information technology solutions. Quest Diagnostics Incorporated was founded in 1967 and is headquartered in Secaucus, New Jersey.