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 -1.6% and NHC reads +12.0%; on fcf yield, EHC reads -6.6% and NHC reads 4.7%. The rest of the comparable metrics sit closer together. On valuation, today's EHC price has a different growth bar priced in than NHC (-1.6% 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 | $111.04 | $225.77 |
| Market cap | $11.2B | $3.6B |
| Sector | Medical Care | Medical Care |
| Stage | Mature | Mature |
| Implied growth (priced in) | -1.6% | +12.0% |
| P/E | 18.5 | 28.7 |
| P/B | 3.38 | 3.25 |
| P/S | 1.84 | 2.33 |
| EV/EBITDA | 40.6 | 19.8 |
| Revenue growth | +10.1% | +11.0% |
| Operating margin | — | 8.4% |
| Net margin | 10.0% | 8.1% |
| Return on equity | 18.4% | 11.3% |
| Return on assets | 8.3% | 8.1% |
| Return on invested capital | — | 9.5% |
| FCF yield | -6.6% | 4.7% |
| Dividend yield | 0.7% | 1.1% |
| Debt / equity | 0.78 | 0.00 |
| Current ratio | 1.17 | 1.86 |
| Altman Z (solvency) | 2.55 | 7.03 |
| 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.