BrightSpring Health Services, Inc. vs Sotera Health Co, two Medical Care stocks. A side-by-side on valuation, growth, margins, returns, and what each price is betting.
Sotera earns 18.9% on equity against BrightSpring's 15.7%, but the equity bases distort both: Sotera carries 3.46 turns of debt from its sterilization-monopoly buyout era, BrightSpring 1.29 from its roll-up program; the returns on assets, 3.6% against 5%, quietly reverse the ranking. The businesses share nothing but a sector tag's neighborhood: Sotera sterilizes medical products at a 52.5% gross margin behind long contracts, BrightSpring delivers home care at 13.3%. The market prices them close, 42.4 and 49.1 times earnings, both premium multiples resting on leverage-assisted growth stories. Free cash is thin at both, under 3% of price. Two levered compounders priced for execution; the sterilizer at least owns its niche outright.
Comparison updated 2026-07-10.
| Metric | BTSG | SHC |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $68.80 | $17.38 |
| Market cap | $15.2B | $5.0B |
| Sector | Medical Care | Medical Care |
| Stage | Growth | Mature |
| Implied growth (priced in) | — | +15.4% |
| P/E | 49.1 | 42.4 |
| P/B | 7.69 | 8.03 |
| P/S | 1.12 | 4.20 |
| EV/EBITDA | 41.7 | 271.2 |
| Revenue growth | +28.0% | +7.5% |
| Gross margin | 13.3% | 52.5% |
| Operating margin | 3.4% | — |
| Net margin | 2.3% | 9.9% |
| Return on equity | 15.7% | 18.9% |
| Return on assets | 5.0% | 3.6% |
| Return on invested capital | 7.2% | — |
| FCF yield | 2.7% | 1.9% |
| Debt / equity | 1.29 | 3.46 |
| Current ratio | 1.74 | 2.82 |
| Altman Z (solvency) | 4.65 | 1.44 |
| Piotroski F (quality) | 5 / 9 | 4 / 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.