DHR vs RVTY: Which Is the Better Buy in 2026?
Last updated August 2026
Short answer
DHR is the larger of the two ($137.07B market cap): the incumbent the market prices for continued execution (20.99x forward earnings, beta 0.82). RVTY is the smaller challenger ($13.92B), priced similarly on forward earnings (21.17x): more room to run, but more to prove. The real question is which set of drivers you believe, and whether owning one (or both) leaves you over-concentrated.
DHR vs RVTY: the tie-breaker metrics
Same yardstick, side by side (as of August 2026). Valuation lined up like this is most meaningful for two names in the same corner of the market, which these are. Figures are approximate; verify before investing.
| Metric | DHR | RVTY | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|---|
| Market cap | $137.07B | $13.92B | Size. The larger name is the incumbent; the smaller has more room to grow and more to prove. |
| Forward P/E | 20.99 | 21.17 | Valuation on next year's expected earnings, the same yardstick for both. Lower is cheaper for that growth; higher means the market is paying up. |
| Trailing P/E | 34.69 | 59.98 | Valuation on the last 12 months. A big drop from trailing to forward means the market expects earnings to jump, so more growth is already in the price. |
| Beta | 0.82 | 1.07 | Volatility vs the market. Above 1 swings harder than the index; below 1 is steadier. Higher beta means bigger drawdowns to hold through. |
| Price vs 52-week range | 42% of range | 99% of range | Where today's price sits between the 52-week low and high. Near the high is momentum with less margin of safety; near the low is out of favor or a discount, depending on why. |
| Price / book | 2.61 | 1.93 | How much you pay over book value. Very high can signal an asset-light, high-return business or a rich price. |
Before you buy: how DHR and RVTY affect your concentration
The metrics above tell you which is the marginally better business. The bigger risk for most people is not picking the slightly worse stock, it is over-concentrating. DHR and RVTY share themes, so owning both, or adding either to what you already hold, can quietly push a large share of your portfolio into one bet.
This is the part a generic comparison page cannot answer, because it depends on what you own. Connect your brokerage and Walnut shows your real, combined DHR and RVTY exposure, flags overlap with your existing positions, and tells you if adding one would tip you past a concentration you are comfortable with, read-only by default, with your login staying at your broker. Walnut is not an investment adviser.
What does Danaher Corporation (DHR) do?
Danaher Corporation is a global science and technology company built around three segments: Biotechnology (bioprocessing tools and consumables used to make biologic drugs, led by Cytiva and Pall), Life Sciences (instruments and reagents for research, including brands like Beckman Coulter Life Sciences, SCIEX, and Leica Microsystems), and Diagnostics (clinical and molecular testing through Beckman Coulter Diagnostics, Radiometer, Leica Biosystems, and Cepheid). A large share of revenue is recurring consumables and service tied to installed instruments and ongoing drug manufacturing, which is the core of the investment appeal. Danaher runs the well-known Danaher Business System, a continuous-improvement operating model it uses to drive margins and integrate acquisitions.
What does Revvity (RVTY) do?
Revvity runs two reporting segments of nearly identical size. Life Sciences sold ~$720.5 million in the first half of fiscal 2026 and covers two product lines: Life Sciences Solutions (~$601.0 million), meaning reagents, assays, labeling and detection chemistry, automation and high-content imaging systems such as the Opera Phenix platform, and Signals software (~$119.5 million), a scientific informatics suite sold on subscription to pharmaceutical R&D organizations. Diagnostics sold ~$720.3 million over the same period and also splits two ways: immunodiagnostics (~$416.6 million), largely the EUROIMMUN autoimmune, allergy and infectious-disease immunoassay franchise, and reproductive health (~$303.7 million), which is newborn screening, prenatal testing and related genomic services. Customers are pharmaceutical and biotech R&D groups, clinical and public-health laboratories, academia and governments across more than 160 countries, served by roughly 11,000 employees. Geography is spread wide rather than concentrated: in the June quarter the Americas produced ~$325.6 million, Europe ~$229.0 million and Asia ~$175.1 million. A large share of revenue is consumable or subscription in nature, since assays, reagents and screening kits get bought again every period, while instruments and software licenses carry the cyclical part of the business.
DHR vs RVTY: how do they differ?
Both fit overlapping themes, but they are not interchangeable. The useful comparison is which set of drivers and risks you want exposure to.
- DHR drivers: Bioprocessing recovery; Recurring consumables and razor-and-blade mix.
- RVTY drivers: Diagnostics is carrying the growth, and newborn screening is carrying Diagnostics; The China immunodiagnostics exit resets the base.
Which fits which kind of investor
A faster-growing, richer-valued name usually swings harder, so it suits a longer horizon and a higher tolerance for volatility; a steadier, more cash-generative business suits a more conservative or income-minded investor. The honest test is which set of risks you could hold through a drawdown: Valuation is the most cited risk, since DHR often trades at a premium multiple (trailing P/E has ranged roughly from the mid-30s to mid-40s), leaving little room for disappointment. For RVTY, the most immediate risk is that a chunk of 2026 profit does not repeat.
DHR or RVTY: which should you pick?
Growth-minded investors who believe the theme has years to run tend to accept the richer multiple for more upside; value-minded investors lean toward the cheaper forward earnings and steadier profile. Pick DHR if you believe its drivers more; RVTY if you believe its. Many investors hold both, but since they share themes, that is a concentrated bet, not diversification. Decide deliberately and check overlap. For the full detail, see the DHR and RVTY guides.
DHR vs RVTY: the full fundamentals
DHR. Danaher grew 2025 revenue about 2.9% to ~$24.6B with ~2% core growth, while adjusted EPS grew faster on margins and buybacks. The stock has typically carried a premium valuation, with a trailing P/E in the mid-30s to mid-40s and a forward P/E closer to the low 20s as estimates rise. Figures are approximate and as of JULY 2026.
RVTY. The multiple depends entirely on which earnings line an owner treats as economic. A trailing GAAP P/E near 60x reflects ~$340 million a year of amortization on intangibles Revvity paid cash for in prior years; a forward multiple near 23x on guided adjusted EPS treats that amortization as sunk. Either way the stock is priced above the mid-teens multiples common in slow-growth diagnostics and below the premium attached to faster-compounding life-science tools names. Revenue growth of 4% to 5% organic, with margin and buyback doing the rest, is what the current price appears to assume.
Headline figures (approximate, JULY 2026): DHR shows revenue (fy2025) ~$24.6B, adj. diluted eps (fy2025) ~$7.80, free cash flow (fy2025) ~$5.3B, 2026 adj. eps guidance ~$8.35 to $8.55; RVTY shows revenue (ttm) ~$2.912 billion for the twelve months to July 5, 2026, derived from ~$2.856 billion in fiscal 2025 plus first-half 2026 revenue of ~$1.441 billion less first-half 2025 revenue of ~$1.385 billion. Growth has been slow rather than absent: ~$2.751 billion in fiscal 2023, ~$2.755 billion in fiscal 2024 and ~$2.856 billion in fiscal 2025. June-quarter revenue was ~$729.7 million versus ~$720.3 million. Note that fiscal 2026 ends January 3, 2027 and contains 53 weeks, one more than fiscal 2025., gaap earnings versus adjusted earnings Trailing twelve-month net income is ~$237.6 million and trailing diluted EPS ~$2.08, down from $2.07 for full-year 2025 and $2.20 for 2024. Adjusted EPS from continuing operations was $1.41 in the June quarter against $1.18, and $2.47 for the half against $2.19. The bridge for the quarter is $0.76 of intangible amortization, $0.32 of restructuring, $0.05 of investment mark-to-market and $0.02 of purchase accounting, less $0.21 of tax. Full-year 2026 pro forma adjusted EPS is guided to $5.30 to $5.40, raised on August 4, 2026 from $5.20 to $5.30., segment and product-line mix First-half 2026 revenue splits almost evenly, Life Sciences ~$720.5 million and Diagnostics ~$720.3 million. Within Life Sciences: Life Sciences Solutions ~$601.0 million and Signals software ~$119.5 million. Within Diagnostics: immunodiagnostics ~$416.6 million and reproductive health ~$303.7 million. Segment adjusted operating margins in the June quarter were 31.1% for Life Sciences (down from 31.6%) and 30.4% for Diagnostics (up from 25.2%). Consolidated adjusted operating income was ~$211.0 million at a 28.9% margin, against GAAP operating income of ~$89.3 million at 12.2%. Corporate cost was ~$13.4 million in the quarter., cash flow and balance sheet Operating cash flow from continuing operations was ~$317.8 million in the first half of 2026 versus ~$268.4 million a year earlier, on capital expenditure of ~$30.8 million, and was ~$589.0 million for full-year 2025. Cash stood at ~$1.023 billion on July 5, 2026 against ~$3.222 billion of debt principal, of which the EUR 500.0 million 1.875% notes were repaid at maturity in July for ~$571.2 million. That leaves ~$2.65 billion outstanding across notes maturing 2028, 2029, two 2031 tranches and 2051, plus an undrawn $1.5 billion revolver running to January 2030. Goodwill is ~$6.61 billion, net intangibles ~$2.22 billion, equity ~$7.23 billion..
The bottom line: DHR vs RVTY
DHR and RVTY are related but distinct: same themes, different businesses and risks. Neither wins in the abstract; the right pick is whichever thesis you actually believe, sized so you are not over-concentrated in one theme. Walnut can show your combined DHR and RVTY exposure against your real portfolio. It is not an investment adviser.
Wondering how DHR or RVTY fits the portfolio you already own? Walnut is an AI investing app that connects your brokerage read-only and answers questions like that about your actual holdings: overlap, concentration, and how each position tracks the S&P 500. Compare the best AI portfolio analyzers or see the best AI investing apps in 2026.
Investing in Danaher Corporation with AI
Connect the broker you already use and ask Walnut's AI how DHR fits what you actually hold: whether you own it already through a fund, what it would do to your concentration, and how it has tracked the S&P 500. Read-only by default, and you approve anything before it reaches your broker.
FAQ
What is the difference between DHR and RVTY?
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Danaher Corporation is a global science and technology company built around three segments: Biotechnology (bioprocessing tools and consumables used to make biologic drugs, led by Cytiva and Pall), Life Sciences (instruments and reagents for research, including brands like Beckman Coulter Life Sciences, SCIEX, and Leica Microsystems), and Diagnostics (clinical and molecular testing through Beckman Coulter Diagnostics, Radiometer, Leica Biosystems, and Cepheid). Revvity runs two reporting segments of nearly identical size. They show up together because they share investment themes, but they are different businesses, so the better fit depends on which thesis you are expressing.
Is DHR or RVTY the better stock?
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Neither is universally better. DHR is the larger incumbent; RVTY is the smaller challenger and looks pricier on forward earnings. Walnut is informational, not investment advice. Compare what each does, the tie-breaker metrics above, and the risks, then decide which fits your thesis and what you already own.
Which is cheaper, DHR or RVTY?
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On forward P/E (as of August 2026), DHR trades at 20.99x and RVTY at 21.17x, so DHR is the cheaper of the two on next year's expected earnings. A lower multiple is not automatically the better buy: a richer valuation can be justified by faster growth, and a lower one can reflect real risk. Weigh the multiple against how fast each business is compounding.
Should you own both DHR and RVTY?
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Because they share themes, owning both concentrates you in that theme. That can be intentional (a focused bet) or accidental (less diversification than it looks). Walnut can show your combined exposure across both, and whether adding either over-concentrates you, before you buy.
What are the risks of DHR vs RVTY?
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DHR: Valuation is the most cited risk, since DHR often trades at a premium multiple (trailing P/E has ranged roughly from the mid-30s to mid-40s), leaving little room for disappointment. Core revenue growth has been slow, around 2% for 2025 and roughly flat in early 2026, so the thesis leans heavily on the bioprocessing recovery arriving on schedule. Biopharma and academic funding cycles, hospital and diagnostics testing volumes, and currency swings all move results. China demand and policy, along with broader biotech funding conditions, are additional swing factors. As a diversified conglomerate, weakness in any one segment can offset strength elsewhere. RVTY: The most immediate risk is that a chunk of 2026 profit does not repeat. Following the Supreme Court's February 20, 2026 ruling that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act does not authorize tariffs, Revvity applied through the Customs and Border Protection refund process for $20.2 million and had received $16.2 million by July 5, 2026. The company books these on receipt and has recorded no refund receivable, and the full $16.2 million landed in cost of revenue in a single quarter, worth roughly $0.11 of the $1.41 adjusted EPS and a good part of the 260 basis points of gross margin expansion. Second, the end market has not fully turned. Pharma and biotech sales declined mid-single digits including software in the quarter, academic and government budgets remain unsettled, and instruments are a deferrable purchase when customers are cautious. Third, the China divestiture is signed but not closed, with completion expected only by the end of 2027 and conditioned on regulatory approval, so Revvity carries the unit's declining results in the meantime while guiding without it. Fourth, the balance sheet is intangible-heavy: ~$6.61 billion of goodwill and ~$2.22 billion of net intangibles against ~$12.05 billion of total assets and ~$7.23 billion of equity, which leaves real impairment exposure if any acquired franchise underperforms. Fifth, restructuring is ongoing and disruptive, with severance actions in the first half of 2026 touching roughly 5% of the workforce and ~$46.2 million of charges recorded. Sixth, reproductive health revenue is tied to birth rates and to public-health screening budgets, both outside the company's control, and tuberculosis testing in the Americas is already a stated drag. Debt is ~$2.65 billion after the July repayment, with interest expense of ~$47.7 million in the half. Finally, the stock sits at the top of its 52-week range, which leaves little room for a guidance miss.
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Walnut is informational, not investment advice. This page is descriptive and not a recommendation to buy or sell DHR or RVTY; figures are approximate and dated (as of August 2026). Verify current data before investing.