PACS Group, Inc. vs UNIVERSAL HEALTH SERVICES, INC., two Medical Care stocks. A side-by-side on valuation, growth, margins, returns, and what each price is betting.
Neither company's growth appears on the page, but the acquisition cadence hides in the multiples: PACS at 27 times earnings is priced as skilled nursing's next consolidation story, Universal Health at 6.1 as a finished one. Current economics belong to UHS on most lines: operating margins of 11.2% against 8.5%, returns on assets of 9.7% against 4.3%, free-cash yields of 10.2% against 7.2%. PACS answers with balance-sheet room, 0.24 turns against 0.72, and the faster equity compounding, 23.4% against 20.2%. Twenty-one turns of multiple separate the roll-up ahead from the estate complete; the market has always paid for the next story over the last one, and rarely this visibly.
Comparison updated 2026-07-10.
| Metric | PACS | UHS |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $41.88 | $145.68 |
| Market cap | $6.8B | $9.0B |
| Sector | Medical Care | Medical Care |
| Stage | Growth | Mature |
| Implied growth (priced in) | +7.9% | — |
| P/E | 27.0 | 6.1 |
| P/B | 6.51 | 1.19 |
| P/S | 1.25 | 0.51 |
| EV/EBITDA | 17.8 | 5.4 |
| Revenue growth | +23.6% | +10.4% |
| Operating margin | 8.4% | 11.2% |
| Net margin | 4.5% | 8.6% |
| Return on equity | 23.4% | 20.2% |
| Return on assets | 4.3% | 9.7% |
| Return on invested capital | 21.0% | 12.0% |
| FCF yield | 7.2% | 10.2% |
| Dividend yield | 0.5% | 0.6% |
| Debt / equity | 0.24 | 0.72 |
| Current ratio | 0.99 | 1.08 |
| Altman Z (solvency) | 2.01 | 7.26 |
| 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.