ENSIGN GROUP, INC vs NATIONAL HEALTHCARE CORP, two Medical Care stocks. A side-by-side on valuation, growth, margins, returns, and what each price is betting.
Ensign runs skilled nursing on 0.06 turns of debt, National HealthCare on none, two of the cleanest balance sheets in care services, which strips the pair down to operating skill and price. Ensign earns the better returns, 15.3% on equity against 11.3%, the fruit of its buy-and-fix facility model, and the market pays for the machine: 26.6 times earnings against 25.5, barely a premium for demonstrably faster compounding. Margins sit close, 9% and 8.5% operating. NHC pays the real dividend, 1.3% against a token 0.15%, and yields slightly less free cash, 5.3% against 6.1%. Two conservative operators a multiple turn apart; the growth engine is, unusually, almost free.
Comparison updated 2026-07-10.
| Metric | ENSG | NHC |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $163.16 | $200.71 |
| Market cap | $9.7B | $3.2B |
| Sector | Medical Care | Medical Care |
| Stage | Growth | Mature |
| Implied growth (priced in) | +6.5% | +13.2% |
| P/E | 26.6 | 25.5 |
| P/B | 4.10 | 2.89 |
| P/S | 1.84 | 2.07 |
| EV/EBITDA | 16.7 | 17.6 |
| Revenue growth | +19.2% | +11.0% |
| Operating margin | 9.0% | 8.4% |
| Net margin | 6.9% | 8.1% |
| Return on equity | 15.3% | 11.3% |
| Return on assets | 6.5% | 8.1% |
| Return on invested capital | 13.9% | 9.5% |
| FCF yield | 6.1% | 5.3% |
| Dividend yield | 0.1% | 1.3% |
| Debt / equity | 0.06 | 0.00 |
| Current ratio | 1.56 | 1.86 |
| Altman Z (solvency) | 3.37 | 6.47 |
| Piotroski F (quality) | 7 / 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.