# How Agilent Technologies (A) compares with the whole market and its popular alternatives

> Source: EasyCompare research, https://easycompare.io/research/a
> Data as of October 20, 2026. Total returns include reinvested dividends. Past performance does not predict future results; nothing here is investment advice.

Built by QuantCommons' quantitative engine, this page is about relative opportunity, not data on A alone. It places A (Agilent Technologies, Inc.) against 18 popular alternatives, its neighboring categories and the entire market of over 10,000 U.S.-listed stocks and ETFs, and surfaces what has done better on consistent outperformance, return for the risk taken, behavior in real market crashes and diversification. The result is a clearer view of where A stands in the market, and of the alternatives worth a closer look.

Period covered: A's full trading record, from November 1999 through September 2026. All returns include reinvested dividends. Data as of October 20, 2026.

## Key findings

- **Right now:** A has run far ahead of the market, rising 43.6% over the past 6 months against 9.1% for the S&P 500 and 11.2% for the Nasdaq 100. Its life sciences tool peers were far apart over the past 6 months, from ILMN (Illumina, up 102%) to DHR (Danaher, up 15.0%).
- **Stock or market?:** A's 33.1% gain over the past 3 months far outran its industry: the life sciences tools ETF IHI (iShares U.S. Medical Devices ETF) rose 7.5%. The S&P 500 rose 3.9%. Its life sciences tool peers did not move as one over the past 3 months: AVTR (Avantor) rose 55.9%, while DHR (Danaher) rose 11.6%.
- **Past 1 to 3 years:** Over the past year, A rose 22.0% against 15.8% for the S&P 500 and 17.9% for the Nasdaq 100. Even so, A finished behind the S&P 500 in both 2024 and 2025.
- **Long term:** A turned $10,000 into $40,600 over the past decade, against $42,100 in the S&P 500. That said, over the past decade, only TMO (Thermo Fisher Scientific) of its life sciences tool peers outpaced A.
- **In a crash:** Across seven sell-offs, A has typically fallen 1.3 times as far as the S&P 500.
- **Diversification:** A is more of the same, not a cushion: a correlation of 0.64 with the S&P 500 over 5 years and 0.65 with the total US market, more closely than 95% of stocks worth at least $300 million.
- **Better options**
  - **Popular alternatives:** AMGN (Amgen) earned more than A with less volatility over the past 5 years: 19.6% a year at 24.9% volatility, against 2.6% a year at 30.6%.
  - **Nearby categories and themes:** JNJ (Johnson & Johnson, pharmaceuticals) and NVS (Novartis, pharmaceuticals) earned more than A with less volatility over the past 5 years. JNJ returned 12.7% a year at 17.9% volatility, against 2.6% a year at 30.6%.
  - **Versus the S&P 500:** Simply owning the S&P 500 would have done better over the past 5 years: 12.7% a year at 17.1% volatility, against 2.6% at 30.6% for A.

## How much would $10,000 in A have grown?

This chart tracks a hypothetical $10,000 investment in A over the past 26 years, with dividends reinvested, alongside the same amount in the S&P 500, investments that ended ahead of A over the same span and A's popular alternatives, among those that traded for the entire period.

- $10,000 invested in A at the end of September 2000 would have grown to $59,185 by September 2026, less than the $84,332 it would have become in SPY, an S&P 500 fund.
- Six of the eight other investments on the chart ended ahead of A, and TMO finished highest, at $362,153.

## A at a glance

This section summarizes the key facts about the stock, its returns over periods from one to ten years and the risk it has carried, with dividends reinvested throughout.

- A's deepest decline since it began trading in 1999 was 93.2%, from March 2000 to October 2002. It took about 18 years from the low to climb back to its old high.
- Over 26 full calendar years, A's best was 2009, when it returned 98.7%, and its worst was 2008, when it lost 57.4%. It lost money in nine of those years.
- A is 1.4% below its all-time high.

- Type: Stock, Healthcare (Medical - Diagnostics & Research)
- Trading since: November 18, 1999
- Market value: $49B
- Volatility (5 years): 30.6%; Sharpe ratio: 0.24
- Worst decline ever: −93.3%, from March 6, 2000 to October 10, 2002; back at its high by August 28, 2020

| Period | A total return |
| --- | --- |
| 1 month | +7.1% |
| 3 months | +33.1% |
| 6 months | +43.6% |
| year to date | +26.4% |
| 1 year | +22.0% |
| 3 years | +62.1% |
| 5 years | +13.8% |
| 10 years | +306% |

## A against the whole market

Where A ranks among every stock and fund, and what across the market has done better.

### How does A rank among all stocks?

This section ranks A on return, volatility, risk-adjusted return and worst decline against every stock worth at least $300 million with enough history.

- A's worst decline of the past 10 years ranks in the top 11% of the 2,187 stocks worth at least $300 million, where the top fell the least.

| Measure | A | Rank |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1-year return | +22.0% | 1,186 of 3,287 (top 37%) |
| 3-year return | +62.1% | 1,374 of 3,017 (top 46%) |
| 5-year return | +13.8% | 1,541 of 2,893 (top 54%) |
| 10-year return | +306% | 573 of 2,202 (top 27%) |
| Volatility, 5 years | 30.6% | 788 of 2,893 (top 28%) |
| Sharpe ratio, 5 years | 0.24 | 1,743 of 2,893 (top 61%) |
| Worst decline, past 10 years | −43.2% | 234 of 2,187 (top 11%) |

### What has beaten A on both return and risk?

Each dot is an investment, placed by how much it earned a year over the past 5 years (higher is better) and how much its price swung, its volatility (further left is calmer).

- 375 stocks and 699 ETFs worth at least $500 million sit in the green region: each earned more than A over the past 5 years with smaller price swings. That is 30% of the 3,633 screened.
- Among those with at least half A's swings, CAH has the best return for its risk: 42.1% a year at 24.7% volatility, 19% less than A's 30.6%, and a Sharpe ratio (return above cash per unit of volatility) of 1.55 against 0.24 for A.
- Among A's popular alternatives, AMGN is in the region. AMGN earned 19.6% a year against 2.6% a year for A, at 24.9% volatility, 19% less than A's 30.6%.

### Is there a better investment than A?

The table below lists investments that beat A over the past 5 years on at least one of these measures: a higher annual return with lower volatility, a higher annual return at similar volatility, a similar return with lower volatility, a higher Sharpe ratio with a smaller worst decline, a higher total return in most periods from 3 months to 10 years, or smaller losses in recent market crashes.

- Among A's popular alternatives, AMGN earned more than A with less volatility over the past 5 years: 19.6% a year at 24.9% volatility, against 2.6% a year at 30.6%.
- Looking beyond its popular alternatives, JNJ (pharmaceuticals) and NVS (pharmaceuticals) earned more than A with less volatility over the past 5 years. JNJ returned 12.7% a year at 17.9% volatility, against 2.6% a year at 30.6%.
- Simply owning the S&P 500 would have done better over the past 5 years: 12.7% a year at 17.1% volatility, against 2.6% at 30.6% for A.

The 15 strongest of 1,074 investments that beat A over the past 5 years, out of 3,633 stocks and funds worth at least $500 million.

| Investment | Group | Annual return (5 years) | Volatility | Sharpe | Worst decline (10 years) | 10Y return | Correlation with A | Better on |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| A: Agilent Technologies, Inc. (this page) |  | +2.6% | 30.6% | 0.24 | −43.2% | +306% |  |  |
| CIBR: First Trust Nasdaq Cybersecurity ETF | Cybersecurity | +14.1% | 26.1% | 0.64 | −33.9% | +454% | 0.48 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [SGOV](https://easycompare.io/research/sgov): iShares 0-3 Month Treasury Bond ETF | Treasury Bonds | +3.8% | 0.3% | 13.25 | −0.3% | — | 0.02 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline |
| NHC: National HealthCare Corporation | Medical - Care Facilities | +32.0% | 28.5% | 1.12 | −35.3% | +394% | 0.32 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| JAAA: Janus Henderson AAA CLO ETF | CLO Bonds | +5.1% | 1.7% | 2.98 | −2.6% | — | 0.19 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline |
| [MSFT](https://easycompare.io/research/msft): Microsoft Corporation | Software | +12.5% | 28.2% | 0.56 | −37.1% | +946% | 0.36 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline |
| [VTI](https://easycompare.io/research/vti): Vanguard Morningstar Total Stock Market ETF | US Total Market | +11.5% | 17.5% | 0.71 | −35.0% | +302% | 0.65 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline |
| [VOO](https://easycompare.io/research/voo): Vanguard S&P 500 ETF | US Large-Cap Equity | +12.8% | 16.9% | 0.80 | −34.0% | +324% | 0.64 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline |
| [WMT](https://easycompare.io/research/wmt): Walmart Inc. | Discount Retail | +20.8% | 22.6% | 0.96 | −25.7% | +508% | 0.06 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline |
| [BRK-B](https://easycompare.io/research/brk-b): Berkshire Hathaway Inc. | Insurance | +13.4% | 17.1% | 0.82 | −29.6% | +274% | 0.29 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline |
| [V](https://easycompare.io/research/v): Visa Inc. | Payment Processing | +12.8% | 22.9% | 0.64 | −36.4% | +429% | 0.38 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline |
| VRIG: Invesco Variable Rate Investment Grade ETF | Bonds | +4.7% | 1.3% | 3.51 | −13.1% | +40.5% | 0.07 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline |
| LVHI: Franklin International Low Volatility High Dividend Index ETF | International Equity | +17.0% | 11.1% | 1.48 | −32.4% | +194% | 0.38 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline |
| [KO](https://easycompare.io/research/ko): The Coca-Cola Company | Food & Beverages | +14.7% | 16.8% | 0.91 | −37.0% | +204% | 0.24 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline |
| BALT: Innovator Defined Wealth Shield ETF | Crypto | +6.3% | 3.3% | 1.85 | −4.9% | — | 0.57 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline |
| [COST](https://easycompare.io/research/cost): Costco Wholesale Corporation | Discount Retail | +17.4% | 22.9% | 0.82 | −31.4% | +685% | 0.22 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline |

## A against its popular alternatives

The investments people most often weigh against A, compared period by period and year by year.

### How do A's risk and return compare with its alternatives?

This map plots each investment's annual return over the past 5 years against its volatility, the size of its typical price swings.

- Only AMGN and TMO were both more rewarding and calmer than A over the past 5 years, earning a higher annual return with lower volatility.
- 11 of the 18 popular alternatives earned less than A over the past 5 years while swinging more, the weaker corner of the map.
- Over the past 5 years, A returned 2.6% a year, less than the S&P 500's 12.7%, with higher volatility (30.6% against 17.1%).

### Has A consistently beaten its popular alternatives?

This section compares A with the investments people most often weigh against it, checking each one over eight periods from one month to ten years.

- Only one of the 18 popular alternatives, AMGN, outperformed A in at least 3 of 5 short-term and 2 of 3 long-term timeframes.
- LLY, AMGN and MEDP earned more for the risk they took than A (a higher Sharpe ratio) and fell less in their worst decline of the past 10 years.
- MEDP outperformed A over all three long-term periods but in none of the five short-term ones, so A has had the better of it lately.

| Investment | 1Y return | 3Y return | 5Y return | 10Y return | Periods ahead of A | Verdict | Sharpe |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| A: Agilent Technologies, Inc. (this page) | +22.0% | +62.1% | +13.8% | +306% |  |  | 0.24 |
| [AMGN](https://easycompare.io/research/amgn): Amgen Inc. | +48.7% | +72.2% | +145% | +266% | 3/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term | consistent | 0.85 |
| [LLY](https://easycompare.io/research/lly): Eli Lilly and Company | +59.7% | +124% | +451% | +1,807% | 2/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term |  | 1.21 |
| MEDP: Medpace Holdings, Inc. | +14.3% | +172% | +231% | +1,914% | 0/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term |  | 0.70 |
| [TMO](https://easycompare.io/research/tmo): Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. | +26.8% | +49.5% | +15.1% | +366% | 1/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term |  | 0.24 |
| [WAT](https://easycompare.io/research/wat): Waters Corporation | +29.0% | +74.6% | +24.4% | +182% | 1/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term |  | 0.30 |
| CRL: Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. | +71.3% | +70.1% | −25.1% | +280% | 5/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.09 |
| [ILMN](https://easycompare.io/research/ilmn): Illumina, Inc. | +169% | +130% | −33.3% | +93.0% | 5/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.06 |
| TXG: 10x Genomics, Inc. | +444% | +81.2% | −55.8% | — | 4/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.12 |
| RVTY: Revvity, Inc. | +64.0% | +54.6% | −10.6% | +203% | 5/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.11 |
| AVTR: Avantor, Inc. | +9.5% | −19.1% | −56.9% | — | 4/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | -0.20 |
| [IQV](https://easycompare.io/research/iqv): IQVIA Holdings Inc. | +26.3% | +45.3% | +6.5% | +260% | 2/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.21 |
| PACB: Pacific Biosciences of California, Inc. | −1.0% | −73.5% | −92.2% | −77.9% | 2/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | -0.04 |
| MTD: Mettler-Toledo International Inc. | +20.4% | +60.2% | +13.7% | +298% | 1/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.24 |
| BRKR: Bruker Corporation | +47.4% | −5.0% | −27.7% | +171% | 1/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.08 |
| QGEN: Qiagen N.V. | +6.3% | +45.9% | +3.0% | +111% | 1/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.15 |
| [DHR](https://easycompare.io/research/dhr): Danaher Corporation | +8.3% | +10.8% | −17.6% | +232% | 0/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.01 |
| TECH: Bio-Techne Corporation | +16.7% | +15.1% | −41.4% | +191% | 0/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | -0.08 |
| BIO: Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. | +10.1% | +14.1% | −52.5% | +115% | 0/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | -0.21 |

### How did A do year by year?

This table shows each investment's total return in every full calendar year since 2000, along with where A ranked among its popular alternatives each year.

- A finished ahead of the S&P 500 in 12 of its 26 full calendar years, and behind it in each of the last three.
- Among its popular alternatives, MEDP came out ahead of A most often, in eight of the nine years both traded.
- Ranked against its popular alternatives each year, A finished in the top quarter in six of 26 years and in the bottom quarter in six. In 2025, it ranked 12 of 19.

| Year | A | SPY |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 2025 | +1.9% | +17.7% |
| 2024 | −2.7% | +24.9% |
| 2023 | −6.4% | +26.2% |
| 2022 | −5.5% | −18.2% |
| 2021 | +35.5% | +28.7% |
| 2020 | +39.8% | +18.3% |
| 2019 | +27.5% | +31.2% |
| 2018 | +1.7% | −4.6% |
| 2017 | +48.3% | +21.7% |
| 2016 | +10.2% | +12.0% |

## Risk and diversification

How A has fallen, how it held up in crashes beside the S&P 500 and its popular alternatives, and what moves independently of it.

### What were A's worst declines?

A drawdown is the decline from a peak to the lowest point before a new high.

- In all five of A's worst declines, the S&P 500 held up better over the same dates.
- Not every decline was the market's doing: A fell 43.2% from September 2021 to April 2025, while the S&P 500 rose 15.6%.
- The slowest recovery came after A fell 93.2% from March 2000 to October 2002; it did not regain that peak until August 2020, 18 years later.

| Decline | Peak | Low | Back at the high | SPY over the same dates | Market event |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| −93.3% | March 6, 2000 | October 10, 2002 | August 28, 2020 | −40.3% | dot-com bust |
| −43.2% | September 3, 2021 | April 8, 2025 | September 28, 2026 | +15.6% | 2022 bear market |
| −24.9% | December 30, 1999 | January 6, 2000 | February 7, 2000 | −6.1% |  |
| −11.6% | February 17, 2021 | March 4, 2021 | April 5, 2021 | −4.0% |  |
| −9.0% | December 9, 1999 | December 15, 1999 | December 16, 1999 | +0.1% |  |

### How did A do in stock market crashes?

This section measures how far A, the S&P 500 and each alternative fell from peak to trough during every major market crash since 2000.

- A fell further than the S&P 500 in seven of the ten crashes it has traded through. The clearest case was the dot-com bust, when A fell 92.4% and the S&P 500 fell 47.5%.
- Among its popular alternatives, AMGN held up best, falling less than A in nine of the ten crashes they both traded through.

| Crash | Dates | A fall | SPY fall |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Dot-com bust | March 10, 2000 to October 9, 2002 | −92.4% | −47.5% |
| Global financial crisis | October 9, 2007 to March 9, 2009 | −67.6% | −55.2% |
| Flash crash | May 6, 2010 to May 7, 2010 | −4.2% | −1.5% |
| Euro debt crisis | July 22, 2011 to October 3, 2011 | −37.3% | −17.9% |
| China devaluation & oil rout | August 10, 2015 to February 11, 2016 | −17.6% | −12.8% |
| Volmageddon | February 2, 2018 to February 9, 2018 | −8.7% | −6.5% |
| Q4 2018 selloff | September 21, 2018 to December 24, 2018 | −16.1% | −19.3% |
| COVID crash | February 19, 2020 to March 23, 2020 | −25.8% | −33.7% |
| 2022 bear market | January 4, 2022 to October 12, 2022 | −25.3% | −24.5% |
| SVB / regional bank stress | March 8, 2023 to March 13, 2023 | −3.7% | −3.4% |

### How closely does A move with the S&P 500?

Upside capture measures how much of the S&P 500's gains an investment kept in the months the market rose, and downside capture how much of its losses it took in the months the market fell.

- LLY took just 6% of the S&P 500's losses, against 141% for A, while still keeping 101% of its gains.
- Over the past 10 years, A captured 120% of the S&P 500's gains in rising months and 141% of its losses in falling months, with a beta of 1.13. It amplified the market's moves in both directions.
- Five of the 16 popular alternatives had a higher capture ratio (upside capture divided by downside capture) than A's 0.85, led by LLY, MEDP and AMGN.

Measured over the past 10 years of monthly returns against SPY.

| Investment | Upside capture | Downside capture | Beta |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| A: Agilent Technologies, Inc. (this page) | 120% | 141% | 1.13 |
| [AMGN](https://easycompare.io/research/amgn): Amgen Inc. | 74.0% | 64.0% | 0.54 |
| [LLY](https://easycompare.io/research/lly): Eli Lilly and Company | 101% | 6.0% | 0.37 |
| MEDP: Medpace Holdings, Inc. | 168% | 118% | 1.24 |
| [TMO](https://easycompare.io/research/tmo): Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. | 104% | 104% | 0.81 |
| [WAT](https://easycompare.io/research/wat): Waters Corporation | 107% | 139% | 1.01 |
| CRL: Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. | 135% | 175% | 1.30 |
| [ILMN](https://easycompare.io/research/ilmn): Illumina, Inc. | 120% | 200% | 1.19 |
| RVTY: Revvity, Inc. | 111% | 146% | 1.10 |
| [IQV](https://easycompare.io/research/iqv): IQVIA Holdings Inc. | 128% | 167% | 1.31 |
| PACB: Pacific Biosciences of California, Inc. | 76.0% | 234% | 1.70 |
| MTD: Mettler-Toledo International Inc. | 118% | 143% | 1.13 |
| BRKR: Bruker Corporation | 121% | 160% | 1.27 |
| QGEN: Qiagen N.V. | 62.0% | 83.0% | 0.45 |
| [DHR](https://easycompare.io/research/dhr): Danaher Corporation | 84.0% | 84.0% | 0.75 |
| TECH: Bio-Techne Corporation | 120% | 162% | 1.23 |
| BIO: Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. | 104% | 146% | 0.99 |

### What diversifies A?

Correlation measures how closely two investments move together, on a scale from 1 (in lockstep) through 0 (unrelated) to -1 (in opposite directions).

- Moving a fifth of the money in A into GLD would have cut the portfolio's volatility by 18% over the past 5 years and raised its annual return (+2.5% for A alone, +6.4% for the mix).
- Among large ETFs, LVHI, DXJ and EMLP have moved largely independently of A over the past 5 years, with correlations of 0.38 or lower, and each still earned a positive 5-year return.
- MCK made money in six of the nine calendar years in which A lost money.

| Investment | Correlation with A | 5Y return | Volatility | Sharpe | Rose in A's 9 down years |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| LVHI: Franklin International Low Volatility High Dividend Index ETF | 0.38 | +119% | 11.1% | 1.48 | 3 of 9 |
| DXJ: WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity Fund | 0.28 | +225% | 19.1% | 1.34 | 3 of 9 |
| EMLP: First Trust North American Energy Infrastructure Fund | 0.32 | +101% | 14.5% | 1.04 | 3 of 9 |
| HDV: iShares Core High Dividend ETF | 0.40 | +83.3% | 13.0% | 1.00 | 3 of 9 |
| EWP: iShares MSCI Spain ETF | 0.40 | +140% | 20.3% | 0.97 | 3 of 9 |
| [SMH](https://easycompare.io/research/smh): VanEck Semiconductor ETF | 0.43 | +323% | 36.9% | 0.97 | 3 of 9 |
| [GLD](https://easycompare.io/research/gld): SPDR Gold Shares | 0.09 | +126% | 18.9% | 0.96 | 4 of 9 |
| [XLE](https://easycompare.io/research/xle): State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF | 0.22 | +177% | 25.5% | 0.93 | 5 of 9 |

## Common questions

### What was A's worst drawdown?

A's deepest decline since it began trading in 1999 was 93.2%, from March 2000 to October 2002. It took about 18 years from the low to climb back to its old high.

### What were A's best and worst years?

Over 26 full calendar years, A's best year was 2009, when it returned 98.7%. Its worst was 2008, with a return of -57.4%.

### Is there a better investment than A?

Among A's popular alternatives, AMGN earned more than A with less volatility over the past 5 years: 19.6% a year at 24.9% volatility, against 2.6% a year at 30.6%. Looking beyond its popular alternatives, JNJ (pharmaceuticals) and NVS (pharmaceuticals) earned more than A with less volatility over the past 5 years. JNJ returned 12.7% a year at 17.9% volatility, against 2.6% a year at 30.6%.

### Is A more volatile than the S&P 500?

Yes. A's volatility over the past 5 years was 30.6%, 1.8 times the S&P 500's 17.1%. Volatility measures how widely returns swing around their average: in roughly two years out of three, A's return lands within 30.6% of its average, either way. The higher it is, the rougher the ride and the harder it is to hold through a slump.

### What is A's Sharpe ratio?

A's Sharpe ratio over the past 5 years was 0.24, against 0.79 for the S&P 500, so A earned less for each unit of risk than an index fund did. The Sharpe ratio is the return earned above cash for each unit of volatility: two investments with the same return are not equal if one got there with far bigger swings.

### How correlated is A with the S&P 500?

Over the past 5 years, A's monthly returns had a correlation of 0.64 with the S&P 500. Correlation runs from 1 (moving in lockstep) through 0 (unrelated) to −1 (moving in opposite directions). They often move together: some diversification next to an index fund, but not a cushion. In the table, the correlation column measures each option against A instead: the lower it is, the more that option would diversify a A holding.

### What are the best alternatives to A?

Of the 18 popular alternatives we compared, one outperformed A in at least 3 of 5 short-term and 2 of 3 long-term timeframes, with dividends reinvested: AMGN.

### Did A outperform the S&P 500?

A finished ahead of the S&P 500 (SPY) in 12 of 26 full calendar years. In 2025, it returned +1.9%, against +17.7% for the index.

### How did A do in stock market crashes?

A fell less than the S&P 500 (SPY) in two of the ten major crashes it has traded through, and further in seven. The clearest case was the dot-com bust, when A fell 92.4% and the S&P 500 fell 47.5%.

### What diversifies A?

These had a low correlation with A over the past 5 years and still earned a positive 5-year return: among large ETFs, LVHI (correlation 0.38), DXJ (correlation 0.28) and EMLP (correlation 0.32); among large stocks, CAH (correlation 0.32), CLS (correlation 0.27) and FIX (correlation 0.30). A correlation near zero means the two have moved largely independently.

## More research

- [Amgen (AMGN) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/amgn)
- [Eli Lilly and Company (LLY) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/lly)
- [Thermo Fisher Scientific (TMO) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/tmo)
- [Waters (WAT) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/wat)
- [Illumina (ILMN) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/ilmn)
- [IQVIA (IQV) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/iqv)
- [Danaher (DHR) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/dhr)
- [Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF (SCHD) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/schd)
- [NVIDIA (NVDA) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/nvda)
- [Apple (AAPL) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/aapl)
- [Alphabet (GOOG) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/goog)
- [Microsoft (MSFT) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/msft)

## Explore further

- Full page with charts: https://easycompare.io/research/a
- All research pages: https://easycompare.io/llms.txt
- Compare the entire market against A live: https://betterthanspy.com/?b=A&utm_source=easycompare&utm_medium=research