Which has the lower trailing P/E, LH or WAT?

LH has the lower trailing P/E: LH trades at 27.83 and WAT at 48.78. P/E is one valuation measure and does not by itself establish which business is cheaper.

Which has grown faster, LH or WAT?

Over the past five years, WAT grew revenue faster — LH at a -1.58% CAGR versus WAT at 8.48%.

Does LH or WAT pay a bigger dividend?

LH pays a dividend (0.92% yield), while WAT is a former payer with no current dividend run rate.

Is LH or WAT more profitable?

WAT runs the higher net margin — LH at 6.66% versus WAT at 11.91%.

How have LH and WAT total returns compared?

Over the past 10 years, LH delivered 10.77% and WAT delivered 9.35% annualized total return. Past performance doesn't predict future results.

Labcorp Holdings Inc. (LH) vs Waters Corporation (WAT)

A side-by-side comparison of Labcorp Holdings Inc. and Waters Corporation across valuation, profitability, dividends, and growth — built entirely from reported fundamentals, as of July 29, 2026. Differences are shown without an overall score or investment verdict.

Labcorp Holdings Inc.

$25.71B

$313.53HealthcareDelayed quote: Jul 29, 2026, 10:34 AM EDT

WAT

Waters Corporation

$25.04B

$384.17HealthcareDelayed quote: Jul 29, 2026, 10:35 AM EDT

Total return — LH vs WAT

growth of $100 · dividends reinvested · last 30y

LH +2181.2%WAT +5416.8%WAT compounded faster

LH WAT

LH vs WAT: by the numbers

•LH is the larger company ($25.71B vs $25.04B market cap).
•LH trades at the lower trailing earnings multiple (27.83 vs 48.78 P/E), one valuation lens rather than an overall verdict.
•WAT converts more revenue to profit (11.91% vs 6.66% net margin).
•WAT grew revenue faster over the past five years (8.48% vs -1.58% CAGR).
•LH pays a dividend (0.92% yield), while WAT is a former payer with no current dividend run rate.

Metrics side by side

Valuation

Metric	LH	WAT
P/E ratio	27.83	48.78
Forward P/E	17.44	26.43
P/S ratio	1.84	8.36
P/B ratio	2.98	2.06
PEG ratio	1.28	75.61
EV / EBITDA	14.37	38.46
FCF yield	5.31%	0.84%

Profitability

Metric	LH	WAT
Gross margin	27.79%	55.02%
Operating margin	11.03%	28.22%
Net margin	6.66%	11.91%
ROE	10.79%	2.94%
ROIC	7.39%	17.57%

Dividends

Metric	LH	WAT
Dividend yield	0.92%	N/A
Payout ratio	27.32%	N/A

Growth (annualized)

Metric	LH	WAT
Revenue CAGR (5Y)	-1.58%	8.48%
EPS CAGR (5Y)	-8.00%	5.16%
FCF CAGR (5Y)	-12.63%	-17.63%
Total return CAGR (5Y)	6.34%	-0.12%

Frequently asked

Which has the lower trailing P/E, LH or WAT?: LH has the lower trailing P/E: LH trades at 27.83 and WAT at 48.78. P/E is one valuation measure and does not by itself establish which business is cheaper.
Which has grown faster, LH or WAT?: Over the past five years, WAT grew revenue faster — LH at a -1.58% CAGR versus WAT at 8.48%.
Does LH or WAT pay a bigger dividend?: LH pays a dividend (0.92% yield), while WAT is a former payer with no current dividend run rate.
Is LH or WAT more profitable?: WAT runs the higher net margin — LH at 6.66% versus WAT at 11.91%.
How have LH and WAT total returns compared?: Over the past 10 years, LH delivered 10.77% and WAT delivered 9.35% annualized total return. Past performance doesn't predict future results.

Go deeper

Full LH analysis Full WAT analysis Interactive comparison tool

Dig into the metrics

Labcorp P/E ratio Waters P/E ratio Labcorp dividend yield Waters dividend yield Labcorp ROE Waters ROE Labcorp operating margin Waters operating margin Labcorp revenue growth Waters revenue growth Labcorp free cash flow Waters free cash flow

Labcorp & Waters appear in these rankings

Highest FCF Yield Stocks

Figures are sourced from reported fundamentals and the latest end-of-day price. This comparison is informational only and is not investment advice. Past performance does not predict future results. See our methodology. Compiled by TGMCharts Research · data verified July 29, 2026.