ADUS vs NHC vs ENSG Stock Comparison

Addus HomeCare, National Healthcare and Ensign Prices as of Oct 29, 2026 Peers: Industry group
ADUS Addus HomeCare Corp
$124.34 +10.1% 1M +1.3% 1Y
Market cap
$2.32B
P/E
21.6x
Revenue (TTM)
$1.48B
Div. yield
–
Home Health and Senior Care Healthcare
3 wins
NHC National Healthcare Corp
$211.62 -5.6% 1M +75.1% 1Y
Market cap
$3.31B
P/E
23.6x
Revenue (TTM)
$1.56B
Div. yield
1.24%
Home Health and Senior Care Healthcare
5 wins
ENSG Ensign Group, Inc
$186.32 +6.1% 1M +2.0% 1Y
Market cap
$10.87B
P/E
27.0x
Revenue (TTM)
$5.67B
Div. yield
0.15%
Home Health and Senior Care Healthcare
4 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

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

QuestionADUSNHCENSGLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $2.32B $3.31B $10.87B ENSG
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 21.6x 23.6x 27.0x ADUS
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 17.3x — 22.5x ADUS
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +15.9% +6.9% +17.5% ENSG
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 7.1% 9.0% 7.0% NHC
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 9.2% 10.0% 14.3% ENSG
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA -0.2x — -0.3x ENSG
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield — 1.24% 0.15% NHC
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +1.3% +75.1% +2.0% NHC
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +5.9%/yr +24.8%/yr +19.0%/yr NHC
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 29.2% 34.7% 29.3% ADUS
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 71/100 79/100 65/100 NHC

Percentile Scorecard

ADUSNHCENSG

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

AxisADUSNHCENSG
Valuation 88 #12 of 92 77 #22 of 92 70 #28 of 92
Growth 62 #34 of 87 79 #19 of 87 63 #33 of 87
Profitability 73 #24 of 86 84 #15 of 86 74 #23 of 86
Financial Health 87 #14 of 97 88 #13 of 97 72 #28 of 97
Shareholder Returns 46 #30 of 55 69 #18 of 55 44 #31 of 55
Overall 71 79 65
  • ADUS ranked among 102 companies in Healthcare Providers
  • NHC ranked among 102 companies in Healthcare Providers
  • ENSG ranked among 102 companies in Healthcare Providers

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodADUSNHCENSGSPY
1 month +10.1%-5.6%+6.1% +0.7%
3 months +6.6%-7.5%+4.2% +3.7%
6 months +28.3%+22.1%-0.2% +7.1%
Year to date +15.8%+54.4%+7.0% +12.8%
1 year +1.3%+75.1%+2.0% +11.9%
3 years +49.5%+213.7%+95.5% +85.2%
3 years, per year +14.3%+46.4%+25.1% +22.8%
5 years +33.0%+202.6%+138.8% +67.6%
5 years, per year +5.9%+24.8%+19.0% +10.9%
10 years +398.2%+227.0%+993.4% +262.0%
10 years, per year +17.4%+12.6%+27.0% +13.7%

Risk

MeasureADUSNHCENSGSPY
Volatility, 1Y 29.2%34.7%29.3% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 30.9%32.3%24.9% 12.6%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.180.13-0.06 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.042.170.07 0.94
Max drawdown, 5Y -34.9%-34.4%-31.8% -25.4%
From 52-week high 0.0%-14.4%-13.7% -1.2%
52-week high $124.34$247.31$215.83 $779.14
52-week low $88.49$119.44$147.13 $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.

MultipleADUSNHCENSG
P/E now vs peer median 21.6xmedian 26.0x 23.6xmedian 26.0x 27.0xmedian 26.0x
P/S now vs peer median 1.6xmedian 1.6x 2.1xmedian 1.6x 1.9xmedian 1.6x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 13.7xmedian 15.4x 16.3xmedian 15.4x 16.9xmedian 15.4x
P/FCF now vs peer median 15.0xmedian 21.5x 22.6xmedian 21.5x 21.3xmedian 21.5x
P/B now vs peer median 2.0xmedian 3.2x 2.9xmedian 3.2x 4.2xmedian 3.2x
PEG now vs peer median 1.08median 0.87 0.38median 0.87 1.70median 0.87

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 monthsADUSNHCENSG
Revenue $1.48B $1.56B $5.67B
Gross profit $477.75M – $1.20B
Operating income $148.23M $144.68M $509.16M
Net income $105.31M $142.84M $399.32M
Free cash flow $154.77M $146.53M $509.91M
EPS (diluted) $5.70 $8.84 $6.73
Cash & equivalents $99.57M $39.21M $337.59M
Total debt $61.60M – $198.72M
Shares (diluted) 18.47M 15.86M 59.30M
Enterprise value $1.94B $2.30B $9.00B

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
MetricADUSNHCENSG
P/E 21.6x 23.6x 27.0x
P/FCF 15.0x 22.6x 21.3x
P/Operating cash flow 14.3x 17.6x 15.6x
P/S 1.6x 2.1x 1.9x
P/B 2.0x 2.9x 4.2x
P/Tangible book 2.2x 3.0x 4.3x
EV/EBITDA 13.7x 16.3x 16.9x
EV/EBIT 15.4x 21.5x 21.0x
EV/Revenue 1.5x 2.0x 1.9x
EV/FCF 14.8x 21.2x 20.9x
EV/Operating cash flow 14.1x 16.4x 15.4x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 1.08 0.38 1.70

Growth

14 metrics
MetricADUSNHCENSG
Revenue growth (1Y) 15.9% 6.9% 17.5%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 13.9% 12.8% 16.8%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 15.1% – 21.7%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 14.9% – 16.3%
Operating income growth (1Y) 27.5% 24.1% 26.6%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 23.6% 57.4% 18.3%
Net income growth (1Y) 26.9% 35.9% 21.6%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 25.1% 68.9% 17.2%
EPS growth (1Y) 26.0% 31.6% 20.9%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 19.9% 61.9% 15.9%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 61.7% 26.7% 44.5%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 16.4% 44.1% 26.8%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 65.3% 23.2% 76.1%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 17.9% 58.0% 29.2%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricADUSNHCENSG
Gross margin 32.4% – 21.2%
EBITDA margin 11.3% 12.2% 11.1%
Operating margin 10.0% 9.3% 9.0%
Pretax margin 9.5% 11.9% 9.4%
Net margin 7.1% 9.0% 7.0%
FCF margin 10.5% 9.4% 9.0%
Operating cash flow margin 11.0% 12.1% 12.3%
Return on equity 9.3% 12.8% 16.0%
Return on assets 7.3% 9.3% 6.8%
Return on invested capital 9.2% 10.0% 14.3%
Return on capital employed 11.6% 11.2% 10.4%
Asset turnover 1.0x 1.0x 1.0x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.5x 1.3x 1.7x
Stock comp / revenue 1.2% 0.3% 1.1%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricADUSNHCENSG
Debt / assets 4.2% – 3.3%
Debt / equity 0.1x – 0.1x
Net debt / EBITDA -0.2x – -0.3x
Debt / FCF 0.4x – 0.4x
Liabilities / assets 21.2% 26.6% 57.3%
Equity / assets 78.8% 73.4% 42.7%
Interest coverage 14.9x 56.6x 62.8x
Current ratio 1.7x 1.9x 1.2x
Quick ratio 1.5x 1.5x 1.1x
Cash ratio 0.6x 0.9x 0.4x
Altman Z-score 6.47 7.16 3.64

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricADUSNHCENSG
Dividend yield – 1.2% 0.1%
Net buyback yield -0.1% 0.1% 0.2%
Shareholder yield -0.1% 1.4% 0.3%
Payout ratio (earnings) – 27.8% –
Payout ratio (FCF) – 27.1% –
Dividend growth (1Y) – 5.6% –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – 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.

ConsensusADUSNHCENSG
Forward P/E 17.3xFY2026 – 22.5xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $7.20FY2026 – $8.29FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +15.6%FY2026 – +26.2%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +11.1% – -1.8%
Revenue, next fiscal year $1.57BFY2026 – $5.76BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +10.8%FY2026 – +13.9%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +6.1% – +16.9%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersADUSNHCENSG
Held by institutions 100.0% 65.3% 89.8%
Institutions holding 304 250 548
Change in shares held, QoQ +0.8% -0.6% -1.2%
Institutions buying 162 136 250
Institutions selling 94 72 214
Buyers to sellers 1.72 1.89 1.17

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.

ADUSNHCENSG
ADUS 1.00 0.36 0.35
NHC 0.36 1.00 0.33
ENSG 0.35 0.33 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, ADUS, NHC and ENSG?

Ensign (ENSG) is the largest by market capitalisation: Addus HomeCare (ADUS) $2.32B, National Healthcare (NHC) $3.31B, Ensign (ENSG) $10.87B.

Which stock is cheaper, ADUS, NHC and ENSG?

Addus HomeCare (ADUS) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Addus HomeCare (ADUS) 21.6x, National Healthcare (NHC) 23.6x, Ensign (ENSG) 27.0x). On next year's consensus earnings, Addus HomeCare (ADUS) is cheapest (Addus HomeCare (ADUS) 17.3x, Ensign (ENSG) 22.5x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Ensign (ENSG) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Addus HomeCare (ADUS) +15.9%, National Healthcare (NHC) +6.9%, Ensign (ENSG) +17.5%.

Which company is more profitable?

National Healthcare (NHC) has the highest net margin (Addus HomeCare (ADUS) 7.1%, National Healthcare (NHC) 9.0%, Ensign (ENSG) 7.0%). On return on invested capital, Ensign (ENSG) leads (Addus HomeCare (ADUS) 9.2%, National Healthcare (NHC) 10.0%, Ensign (ENSG) 14.3%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year National Healthcare (NHC) returned the most: Addus HomeCare (ADUS) +1.3%, National Healthcare (NHC) +75.1%, Ensign (ENSG) +2.0%. Over five years, National Healthcare (NHC) compounded fastest (Addus HomeCare (ADUS) +5.9%/yr, National Healthcare (NHC) +24.8%/yr, Ensign (ENSG) +19.0%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

National Healthcare (NHC) has the highest dividend yield: National Healthcare (NHC) 1.24%, Ensign (ENSG) 0.15%. 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) 29.2%, National Healthcare (NHC) 34.7%, Ensign (ENSG) 29.3%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

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

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, National Healthcare (NHC) 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.