BRIGHT HORIZONS FAMILY SOLUTIONS INC. vs UNIFIRST CORPORATION, two Personal Services stocks. A side-by-side on valuation, growth, margins, returns, and what each price is betting.
Where BFAM and UNF diverge most: on implied growth (priced in), BFAM reads -3.9% and UNF reads +5.5%; on debt / equity, BFAM reads 0.78 and UNF reads 0.00. The rest of the comparable metrics sit closer together. On valuation, today's BFAM price has a different growth bar priced in than UNF (-3.9% implied for BFAM vs +5.5% for UNF); the higher figure is the steeper assumption to clear, not a better or worse stock. What BFAM's price implies is a bet that sits within the historical range (whole-company basis). What UNF's price implies is a bet that sits within the historical range (whole-company basis). The bull and bear cases for each are in their full reports below.
| Metric | BFAM | UNF |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $74.72 | $293.14 |
| Market cap | $3.9B | $5.3B |
| Sector | Personal Services | Personal Services |
| Stage | Mature | Mature |
| Implied growth (priced in) | -3.9% | +5.5% |
| P/E | 22.5 | 46.2 |
| P/B | 3.43 | 2.43 |
| P/S | 1.32 | 2.14 |
| EV/EBITDA | 11.4 | 18.1 |
| Revenue growth | +9.2% | +1.5% |
| Gross margin | 22.9% | — |
| Operating margin | 9.1% | 3.6% |
| Net margin | 6.3% | 4.7% |
| Return on equity | 16.5% | 5.3% |
| Return on assets | 5.0% | 4.1% |
| Return on invested capital | 10.0% | 5.3% |
| FCF yield | 7.0% | 1.6% |
| Debt / equity | 0.78 | 0.00 |
| Current ratio | 0.46 | 3.11 |
| Altman Z (solvency) | 1.94 | 7.37 |
| Piotroski F (quality) | 6 / 9 | 8 / 9 |
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The stronger value is highlighted per metric where one is strictly better on that single number; it is not an overall verdict on either company. For informational and research purposes only. Not investment advice. Not a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security. boothcheck is not a registered investment adviser. Past performance does not guarantee future results.