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.
Bright Horizons provides childcare; UniFirst rents and launders workplace uniforms, and Bright Horizons earns the better returns, 16.51% on equity against UniFirst's 6.21%, on a slightly higher margin. UniFirst runs debt-free against Bright Horizons's 0.78 turns but trades dearer, 36.04 times earnings against 21.13, and converts far less free cash, 1.9% against 7.17%. The pair contrasts a childcare operator with a uniform-rental company: Bright Horizons earns higher returns and stronger cash conversion on employer-sponsored childcare, while UniFirst offers a debt-free balance sheet in the steady but lower-return uniform-rental business.
Comparison updated 2026-07-11.
| Metric | BFAM | UNF |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $73.28 | $271.88 |
| Market cap | $4.0B | $5.0B |
| Sector | Personal Services | Personal Services |
| Stage | Mature | Mature |
| Implied growth (priced in) | -4.0% | +5.4% |
| P/E | 22.1 | 42.9 |
| P/B | 3.50 | 2.25 |
| P/S | 1.35 | 1.99 |
| EV/EBITDA | 11.6 | 16.7 |
| 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 | 6.9% | 1.8% |
| Debt / equity | 0.78 | 0.00 |
| Current ratio | 0.46 | 3.11 |
| Altman Z (solvency) | 1.96 | 6.99 |
| 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.