BrightSpring Health Services, Inc. vs NATIONAL HEALTHCARE CORP, two Medical Care stocks. A side-by-side on valuation, growth, margins, returns, and what each price is betting.
49.1 against 25.5, the multiples, define this pair better than any operating line: BrightSpring, a home-and-community health services roll-up growing on 1.29 turns of debt, priced at double National HealthCare, a debt-free operator of skilled-nursing and assisted-living facilities that has looked the same for decades. The economics are thin at both, as care services are, 3.4% and 8.5% operating margins, but the shapes differ: BrightSpring's 15.7% return on equity leans on leverage, NHC's 11.3% leans on nothing. NHC pays a 1.3% dividend and yields 5.3% in free cash, double BrightSpring's 2.7%. The premium multiple buys growth by acquisition; the discount buys the same industry standing still, cash in hand.
Comparison updated 2026-07-10.
| Metric | BTSG | NHC |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $68.80 | $200.71 |
| Market cap | $15.2B | $3.2B |
| Sector | Medical Care | Medical Care |
| Stage | Growth | Mature |
| Implied growth (priced in) | — | +13.2% |
| P/E | 49.1 | 25.5 |
| P/B | 7.69 | 2.89 |
| P/S | 1.12 | 2.07 |
| EV/EBITDA | 41.7 | 17.6 |
| Revenue growth | +28.0% | +11.0% |
| Gross margin | 13.3% | — |
| Operating margin | 3.4% | 8.4% |
| Net margin | 2.3% | 8.1% |
| Return on equity | 15.7% | 11.3% |
| Return on assets | 5.0% | 8.1% |
| Return on invested capital | 7.2% | 9.5% |
| FCF yield | 2.7% | 5.3% |
| Dividend yield | — | 1.3% |
| Debt / equity | 1.29 | 0.00 |
| Current ratio | 1.74 | 1.86 |
| Altman Z (solvency) | 4.65 | 6.47 |
| Piotroski F (quality) | 5 / 9 | 6 / 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.