Encompass Health Corporation vs NATIONAL HEALTHCARE CORP, two Medical Care stocks. A side-by-side on valuation, growth, margins, returns, and what each price is betting.
Where EHC and NHC diverge most: on implied growth (priced in), EHC reads -2.2% and NHC reads +12.0%; on debt / equity, EHC reads 0.77 and NHC reads 0.00. The rest of the comparable metrics sit closer together. On valuation, today's EHC price has a different growth bar priced in than NHC (-2.2% implied for EHC vs +12.0% for NHC); the higher figure is the steeper assumption to clear, not a better or worse stock. What EHC's price implies is a bet that sits within the historical range (whole-company basis). What NHC'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 | EHC | NHC |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $123.21 | $226.93 |
| Market cap | $12.3B | $3.6B |
| Sector | Medical Care | Medical Care |
| Stage | Mature | Mature |
| Implied growth (priced in) | -2.2% | +12.0% |
| P/E | 20.1 | 25.5 |
| P/B | 3.62 | 3.19 |
| P/S | 1.99 | 2.31 |
| EV/EBITDA | 42.9 | 18.7 |
| Revenue growth | +9.5% | +7.0% |
| Operating margin | — | 12.0% |
| Net margin | 10.0% | 9.0% |
| Return on equity | 18.3% | 12.4% |
| Return on assets | 8.3% | 9.1% |
| Return on invested capital | — | 9.6% |
| FCF yield | 3.4% | 4.1% |
| Dividend yield | 0.6% | 1.1% |
| Debt / equity | 0.77 | 0.00 |
| Current ratio | 1.19 | 1.86 |
| Altman Z (solvency) | 2.71 | 7.37 |
| Piotroski F (quality) | 7 / 9 | 7 / 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.