Industries › Medical devices and healthcare services
Healthcare stocks buying back their own shares (October 2026)
17 healthcare stocks on Buyback Radar have each retired at least a tenth of their own shares since their peak. DaVita leads, with 74.3% of its shares gone since 2000. 5 of the 17 have retired half of themselves or more. Every count comes from the cover pages of the companies' own 10-K and 10-Q filings with the SEC, split adjusted, so it is net of the new shares handed to employees. The list is rebuilt every Monday.
| # | Company | Retired since peak | Peak | 5 years | 12 months | Market value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  DaVitaDVA | −74.3% | 2000 | −39.1% | −10.8% | $12.0B |
| 2 |  Alpha Pro TechAPT | −59.4% | 2007 | −22.8% | −2.5% | $56.6M |
| 3 |  Universal Health ServicesUHS | −51.9% | 1999 | −29.1% | −7.4% | $10.9B |
| 4 |  HCA HealthcareHCA | −51.2% | 2012 | −32.4% | −7.5% | $99.3B |
| 5 |  ChemedCHE | −50.9% | 2006 | −16.9% | −10.3% | $6.7B |
| 6 |  Quest DiagnosticsDGX | −47.7% | 2002 | −10.3% | −1.1% | $25.9B |
| 7 |  LabcorpLH | −45.7% | 2004 | −15.9% | −2.4% | $25.8B |
| 8 |  Henry ScheinHSIC | −39.4% | 2010 | −20.2% | −8.1% | $9.6B |
| 9 |  Tenet HealthcareTHC | −34.5% | 2001 | −24.8% | −8.9% | $21.5B |
| 10 |  Zimmer BiometZBH | −23.1% | 2005 | −8.7% | −3.7% | $18.1B |
| 11 |  ProgynyPGNY | −20.5% | 2023 | −14.2% | −10.8% | $2.1B |
| 12 |  Baxter InternationalBAX | −20.4% | 2006 | +3.4% | +0.7% | — |
| 13 |  Pediatrix Medical GroupMD | −20.3% | 2001 | −5.9% | −6.7% | $2.2B |
| 14 |  AMN HealthcareAMN | −19.0% | 2015 | −18.1% | +1.1% | — |
| 15 |  Edwards LifesciencesEW | −16.4% | 2011 | −7.5% | −1.8% | $49.9B |
| 16 |  Align TechnologyALGN | −13.1% | 2012 | −10.1% | −2.0% | $10.5B |
| 17 |  Thermo FisherTMO | −12.0% | 2006 | −6.0% | −2.1% | $255.1B |
Which healthcare stocks buy back the most shares?
On Buyback Radar in October 2026, DaVita (DVA) has retired 74.3% of its shares since 2000, followed by Alpha Pro Tech (59.4%) and Universal Health Services (51.9%).
Which healthcare stocks are buying back the fastest right now?
DaVita (DVA), with 10.8% fewer shares than twelve months ago. 15 of the 17 have a lower share count than a year ago.
Why count shares instead of buyback dollars?
A company can spend billions on buybacks and still end the year with more shares, because it hands new stock to employees. The share count on the cover of the filing shows what actually disappeared. Every share retired makes the remaining shares a bigger slice of the same business.
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All 467 companies: the full Radar · Best buyback stocks · What is a cannibal stock
Updated 2026-10-24 from SEC filings. Grouped by the industry code each company files with the SEC. Not investment advice. How we count.