HENRY SCHEIN, INC. vs WESCO International, Inc., two Distribution stocks. A side-by-side on valuation, growth, margins, returns, and what each price is betting.
Henry Schein and WESCO are both thin-margin distributors, Schein in healthcare at 2.95% net and WESCO in electrical at 2.79%, earning similar low returns, 10.08% and 13.24% on equity. WESCO's higher return leans on heavier debt, 1.13 turns against Schein's 0.27. Schein trades richer, 25.7 times earnings against 24.7, but converts far more free cash, 4.51% against 1.25%, on a much lighter balance sheet. The pair matches a healthcare distributor with an electrical one: Schein the cleaner, more cash-generative business trading at a slight premium, WESCO the more leveraged, acquisition-driven operator, and Schein's balance-sheet strength and cash conversion make it the more comfortable hold of two low-margin names.
Comparison updated 2026-07-11.
| Metric | HSIC | WCC |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $84.37 | $334.98 |
| Market cap | $9.8B | $16.6B |
| Sector | Distribution | Distribution |
| Stage | Mature | Mature |
| Implied growth (priced in) | +5.1% | +20.3% |
| P/E | 25.5 | 23.8 |
| P/B | 2.50 | 3.25 |
| P/S | 0.73 | 0.68 |
| EV/EBITDA | 10.9 | 15.0 |
| Revenue growth | +5.6% | +11.2% |
| Gross margin | 31.8% | — |
| Operating margin | 5.4% | 4.8% |
| Net margin | 3.0% | 2.8% |
| Return on equity | 10.1% | 13.2% |
| Return on assets | 3.5% | 4.0% |
| Return on invested capital | 10.5% | 9.3% |
| FCF yield | 4.5% | 1.3% |
| Debt / equity | 0.27 | 1.13 |
| Current ratio | 1.36 | 2.12 |
| Altman Z (solvency) | 2.68 | 3.16 |
| Piotroski F (quality) | 4 / 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.