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.
Where ENSG and NHC diverge most: on debt / equity, ENSG reads 0.06 and NHC reads 0.00; on dividend yield, ENSG reads 0.1% and NHC reads 1.1%. The rest of the comparable metrics sit closer together. On valuation, today's ENSG price has a different growth bar priced in than NHC (+7.8% implied for ENSG vs +12.0% for NHC); the higher figure is the steeper assumption to clear, not a better or worse stock. What ENSG'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 | ENSG | NHC |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $178.21 | $225.77 |
| Market cap | $10.4B | $3.6B |
| Sector | Medical Care | Medical Care |
| Stage | Growth | Mature |
| Implied growth (priced in) | +7.8% | +12.0% |
| P/E | 27.9 | 28.7 |
| P/B | 4.25 | 3.25 |
| P/S | 1.89 | 2.33 |
| EV/EBITDA | 17.6 | 19.8 |
| Revenue growth | +18.9% | +11.0% |
| Operating margin | 8.5% | 8.4% |
| Net margin | 6.9% | 8.1% |
| Return on equity | 15.5% | 11.3% |
| Return on assets | 6.6% | 8.1% |
| Return on invested capital | 13.5% | 9.5% |
| FCF yield | 5.9% | 4.7% |
| Dividend yield | 0.1% | 1.1% |
| Debt / equity | 0.06 | 0.00 |
| Current ratio | 1.21 | 1.86 |
| Altman Z (solvency) | 3.42 | 7.03 |
| Piotroski F (quality) | 8 / 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.