ADUS vs CHE vs NHC Stock Comparison

Addus HomeCare, Chemed and National Healthcare Prices as of Oct 26, 2026 Peers: Industry group
ADUS Addus HomeCare Corp
$121.17 +7.1% 1M -0.4% 1Y
Market cap
$2.22B
P/E
21.1x
Revenue (TTM)
$1.48B
Div. yield
–
Home Health and Senior Care Healthcare
5 wins
CHE Chemed Corp
$513.32 +0.3% 1M +17.6% 1Y
Market cap
$6.70B
P/E
24.4x
Revenue (TTM)
$2.60B
Div. yield
0.00%
Home Health and Senior Care Healthcare
3 wins
NHC National Healthcare Corp
$223.59 -1.4% 1M +82.2% 1Y
Market cap
$3.31B
P/E
23.6x
Revenue (TTM)
$1.56B
Div. yield
0.01%
Home Health and Senior Care Healthcare
4 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Addus HomeCare leads on 5 of the 12 questions below (Addus HomeCare 5, National Healthcare 4, Chemed 3). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionADUSCHENHCLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $2.22B $6.70B $3.31B CHE
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 21.1x 24.4x 23.6x ADUS
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 16.8x 19.4x — ADUS
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +15.9% +3.3% +6.9% ADUS
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 7.1% 10.6% 9.0% CHE
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 9.2% 27.2% 10.0% CHE
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA -0.2x 0.2x — ADUS
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.00% 0.01% NHC
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months -0.4% +17.6% +82.2% NHC
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +7.7%/yr +3.1%/yr +27.4%/yr NHC
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 29.3% 29.9% 34.4% ADUS
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 69/100 59/100 77/100 NHC

Percentile Scorecard

ADUSCHENHC

Each axis is the mean percentile of its metrics against the company's industry group. 100 is the best in the group, 50 the middle.

Scores by Axis

AxisADUSCHENHC
Valuation 86 #14 of 93 57 #41 of 93 73 #26 of 93
Growth 61 #35 of 88 14 #76 of 88 79 #19 of 88
Profitability 72 #25 of 87 92 #8 of 87 76 #22 of 87
Financial Health 87 #14 of 100 67 #34 of 100 88 #13 of 100
Shareholder Returns 38 #35 of 56 64 #21 of 56 67 #19 of 56
Overall 69 59 77
  • ADUS ranked among 103 companies in Healthcare Providers
  • CHE ranked among 103 companies in Healthcare Providers
  • NHC ranked among 103 companies in Healthcare Providers

Price Performance

Price return, split-adjusted, before dividends. Click a name to hide or show it.

Returns

PeriodADUSCHENHCSPY
1 month +7.1%+0.3%-1.4% -0.8%
3 months +4.8%+0.9%-1.1% +3.5%
6 months +23.5%+21.4%+26.8% +7.0%
Year to date +12.8%+20.0%+63.1% +12.2%
1 year -0.4%+17.6%+82.2% +13.0%
3 years +47.9%-9.1%+238.3% +86.3%
3 years, per year +13.9%-3.1%+50.2% +23.1%
5 years +45.0%+16.2%+235.8% +68.6%
5 years, per year +7.7%+3.1%+27.4% +11.0%
10 years +366.4%+275.9%+240.7% +258.0%
10 years, per year +16.7%+14.2%+13.0% +13.6%

Risk

MeasureADUSCHENHCSPY
Volatility, 1Y 29.3%29.9%34.4% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 30.8%33.3%31.6% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.180.010.15 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y -0.010.592.39 1.02
Max drawdown, 5Y -34.9%-43.4%-34.4% -25.4%
From 52-week high -1.3%-7.1%-9.6% -1.8%
52-week high $122.75$552.43$247.31 $779.14
52-week low $88.49$368.59$119.44 $631.97

Valuation History

Weekly multiples on trailing twelve-month fundamentals. Negative or extreme readings (a loss year, a collapsed denominator) are left out so the chart stays readable.

MultipleADUSCHENHC
P/E now vs peer median 21.0xmedian 25.1x 24.6xmedian 25.1x 24.9xmedian 25.1x
P/S now vs peer median 1.5xmedian 1.6x 2.6xmedian 1.6x 2.2xmedian 1.6x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 13.4xmedian 14.5x 16.4xmedian 14.5x 17.3xmedian 14.5x
P/FCF now vs peer median 14.6xmedian 22.4x 20.7xmedian 22.4x 23.9xmedian 22.4x
P/B now vs peer median 2.0xmedian 3.1x 8.1xmedian 3.1x 3.1xmedian 3.1x
PEG now vs peer median 1.06median 0.66 2.07median 0.66 0.40median 0.66

Financial History

Reported figures by fiscal period, placed on the calendar year (or quarter) each period ended in, so companies with different fiscal years line up.

Trailing twelve monthsADUSCHENHC
Revenue $1.48B $2.60B $1.56B
Gross profit $477.75M $859.31M –
Operating income $148.23M $349.19M $144.68M
Net income $105.31M $274.99M $142.84M
Free cash flow $154.77M $323.61M $146.53M
EPS (diluted) $5.70 $20.83 $8.84
Cash & equivalents $99.57M $40.22M $39.21M
Total debt $61.60M $140.00M –
Shares (diluted) 18.47M 13.20M 15.86M
Enterprise value $1.83B $6.44B $2.29B

All Metrics

58 metrics · best in bold

Bold marks the best reading: the lowest positive value for multiples, leverage and payout, the highest for everything else. The bar under each value is its percentile against that company's own peers. Hover a value for its rank and the peer median.

Valuation

12 metrics
MetricADUSCHENHC
P/E 21.0x 24.6x 24.9x
P/FCF 14.6x 20.7x 23.9x
P/Operating cash flow 13.9x 17.2x 18.5x
P/S 1.5x 2.6x 2.2x
P/B 2.0x 8.1x 3.1x
P/Tangible book 2.2x 8.9x 3.2x
EV/EBITDA 13.4x 16.4x 17.3x
EV/EBIT 15.0x 19.5x 22.8x
EV/Revenue 1.5x 2.6x 2.1x
EV/FCF 14.4x 21.0x 22.5x
EV/Operating cash flow 13.7x 17.5x 17.4x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 1.06 2.07 0.40

Growth

14 metrics
MetricADUSCHENHC
Revenue growth (1Y) 15.9% 3.3% 6.9%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 13.9% 5.9% 12.8%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 15.1% 1.7% –
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 14.9% 4.8% –
Operating income growth (1Y) 27.5% -5.3% 24.1%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 23.6% 4.7% 57.4%
Net income growth (1Y) 26.9% -5.3% 35.9%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 25.1% 6.7% 68.9%
EPS growth (1Y) 26.0% 5.5% 31.6%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 19.9% 11.9% 61.9%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 61.7% -8.6% 26.7%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 16.4% 4.2% 44.1%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 65.3% -12.9% 23.2%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 17.9% 5.0% 58.0%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricADUSCHENHC
Gross margin 32.4% 33.1% –
EBITDA margin 11.3% 16.0% 12.2%
Operating margin 10.0% 13.5% 9.3%
Pretax margin 9.5% 14.2% 11.9%
Net margin 7.1% 10.6% 9.0%
FCF margin 10.5% 12.5% 9.4%
Operating cash flow margin 11.0% 15.0% 12.1%
Return on equity 9.3% 32.8% 12.8%
Return on assets 7.3% 17.7% 9.3%
Return on invested capital 9.2% 27.2% 10.0%
Return on capital employed 11.6% 28.2% 11.2%
Asset turnover 1.0x 1.7x 1.0x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.5x 1.4x 1.3x
Stock comp / revenue 1.2% 1.3% 0.3%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricADUSCHENHC
Debt / assets 4.2% 8.9% –
Debt / equity 0.1x 0.2x –
Net debt / EBITDA -0.2x 0.2x –
Debt / FCF 0.4x 0.4x –
Liabilities / assets 21.2% 47.4% 26.6%
Equity / assets 78.8% 52.6% 73.4%
Interest coverage 14.9x 106.5x 56.6x
Current ratio 1.7x 0.9x 1.9x
Quick ratio 1.5x 0.7x 1.5x
Cash ratio 0.6x 0.1x 0.9x
Altman Z-score 6.35 10.45 7.43

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricADUSCHENHC
Dividend yield – 0.5% 1.2%
Net buyback yield -0.1% 9.5% 0.1%
Shareholder yield -0.1% 10.0% 1.3%
Payout ratio (earnings) – 12.1% 27.8%
Payout ratio (FCF) – 10.3% 27.1%
Dividend growth (1Y) – 12.4% 5.6%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – 13.5% 4.3%

Analyst Estimates

Solid lines are reported fiscal-year results; dashed lines are the consensus for the years ahead. Hover a year for the analysts' high and low, and how each result compared with its estimate.

ConsensusADUSCHENHC
Forward P/E 16.8xFY2026 19.4xFY2026 –
EPS, next fiscal year $7.20FY2026 $26.52FY2026 –
EPS growth, next FY +15.6%FY2026 +23.1%FY2026 –
EPS growth, the year after +11.1% +8.0% –
Revenue, next fiscal year $1.57BFY2026 $2.66BFY2026 –
Revenue growth, next FY +10.8%FY2026 +5.1%FY2026 –
Revenue growth, the year after +6.1% +15.2% –

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersADUSCHENHC
Held by institutions 100.0% 100.0% 65.3%
Institutions holding 303 527 250
Change in shares held, QoQ +0.8% +2.8% -0.6%
Institutions buying 162 276 136
Institutions selling 94 186 72
Buyers to sellers 1.72 1.48 1.89

Return Correlation

Daily returns, last 12 months

1.00 means two stocks move in lockstep, 0 that they move independently. Pairs below about 0.5 diversify each other.

ADUSCHENHC
ADUS 1.00 0.37 0.36
CHE 0.37 1.00 0.23
NHC 0.36 0.23 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, ADUS, CHE and NHC?

Chemed (CHE) is the largest by market capitalisation: Addus HomeCare (ADUS) $2.22B, Chemed (CHE) $6.70B, National Healthcare (NHC) $3.31B.

Which stock is cheaper, ADUS, CHE and NHC?

Addus HomeCare (ADUS) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Addus HomeCare (ADUS) 21.1x, Chemed (CHE) 24.4x, National Healthcare (NHC) 23.6x). On next year's consensus earnings, Addus HomeCare (ADUS) is cheapest (Addus HomeCare (ADUS) 16.8x, Chemed (CHE) 19.4x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Addus HomeCare (ADUS) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Addus HomeCare (ADUS) +15.9%, Chemed (CHE) +3.3%, National Healthcare (NHC) +6.9%.

Which company is more profitable?

Chemed (CHE) has the highest net margin (Addus HomeCare (ADUS) 7.1%, Chemed (CHE) 10.6%, National Healthcare (NHC) 9.0%). On return on invested capital, Chemed (CHE) leads (Addus HomeCare (ADUS) 9.2%, Chemed (CHE) 27.2%, National Healthcare (NHC) 10.0%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year National Healthcare (NHC) returned the most: Addus HomeCare (ADUS) -0.4%, Chemed (CHE) +17.6%, National Healthcare (NHC) +82.2%. Over five years, National Healthcare (NHC) compounded fastest (Addus HomeCare (ADUS) +7.7%/yr, Chemed (CHE) +3.1%/yr, National Healthcare (NHC) +27.4%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

National Healthcare (NHC) has the highest dividend yield: Addus HomeCare (ADUS) 0.00%, Chemed (CHE) 0.00%, National Healthcare (NHC) 0.01%. Addus HomeCare (ADUS) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Addus HomeCare (ADUS) has been the steadiest (Addus HomeCare (ADUS) 29.3%, Chemed (CHE) 29.9%, National Healthcare (NHC) 34.4%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, ADUS, CHE and NHC?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Addus HomeCare (ADUS) leads on 5. Business Quant does not give investment advice; use the comparison as a starting point for your own research.

Data from SEC filings, exchange prices and consensus estimates, via Business Quant. Percentile scores compare each company with its own peer group, so two companies' scores are each relative to different peers unless you rank against the whole market. Price returns exclude dividends. Nothing on this page is investment advice.