EHC vs HCA vs NUTX Stock Comparison

Encompass Health, HCA Healthcare and Nutex Health Prices as of Oct 23, 2026 Peers: Industry group
EHC Encompass Health Corp
$124.19 +1.6% 1M -1.8% 1Y
Market cap
$12.25B
P/E
19.7x
Revenue (TTM)
$6.21B
Div. yield
0.01%
Hospitals Healthcare
2 wins
HCA HCA Healthcare, Inc.
$469.11 +7.4% 1M +6.6% 1Y
Market cap
$102.46B
P/E
15.0x
Revenue (TTM)
$78.01B
Div. yield
–
Hospitals Healthcare
2 wins
NUTX Nutex Health Inc.
$209.59 +3.8% 1M +78.7% 1Y
Market cap
$1.44B
P/E
8.0x
Revenue (TTM)
$846.72M
Div. yield
0.06%
Hospitals Healthcare
8 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Nutex Health leads on 8 of the 12 questions below (Nutex Health 8, HCA Healthcare 2, Encompass Health 2). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionEHCHCANUTXLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $12.25B $102.46B $1.44B HCA
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 19.7x 15.0x 8.0x NUTX
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 20.9x 15.5x 7.4x NUTX
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +9.5% +7.3% +6.9% EHC
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 10.0% 8.8% 21.2% NUTX
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 15.4% 22.0% 56.1% NUTX
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 1.7x 3.1x -0.4x NUTX
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.01% 0.00% 0.06% NUTX
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months -1.8% +6.6% +78.7% NUTX
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +12.0%/yr +13.1%/yr — HCA
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 29.4% 31.3% 89.5% EHC
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 64/100 59/100 82/100 NUTX

Percentile Scorecard

EHCHCANUTX

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

AxisEHCHCANUTX
Valuation 77 #22 of 93 86 #14 of 93 96 #5 of 93
Growth 55 #40 of 88 25 #66 of 88 91 #9 of 88
Profitability 90 #10 of 87 94 #6 of 87 99 #2 of 87
Financial Health 39 #61 of 100 16 #84 of 100 89 #12 of 100
Shareholder Returns 58 #24 of 56 75 #15 of 56 36 #36 of 56
Overall 64 59 82
  • EHC ranked among 103 companies in Healthcare Providers
  • HCA ranked among 103 companies in Healthcare Providers
  • NUTX ranked among 103 companies in Healthcare Providers

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodEHCHCANUTXSPY
1 month +1.6%+7.4%+3.8% -1.0%
3 months +10.0%+22.7%+43.7% +2.9%
6 months +21.8%+8.5%+93.6% +6.4%
Year to date +17.0%+0.5%+27.3% +11.4%
1 year -1.8%+6.6%+78.7% +13.1%
3 years +98.7%+103.9%+598.6% +79.4%
3 years, per year +25.7%+26.8%+91.3% +21.5%
5 years +75.8%+85.3%— +67.7%
5 years, per year +12.0%+13.1%— +10.9%
10 years +210.6%+473.9%— +255.2%
10 years, per year +12.0%+19.1%— +13.5%

Risk

MeasureEHCHCANUTXSPY
Volatility, 1Y 29.4%31.3%89.5% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 24.8%30.6%88.4% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.040.171.82 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y -0.060.210.88 1.03
Max drawdown, 5Y -39.1%-39.7%-99.9% -25.4%
From 52-week high -2.9%-13.9%-6.8% -2.5%
52-week high $127.92$545.13$225.00 $779.14
52-week low $93.83$361.32$87.01 $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.

MultipleEHCHCANUTX
P/E now vs peer median 19.8xmedian 25.3x 15.1xmedian 25.3x 8.0xmedian 25.3x
P/S now vs peer median 2.0xmedian 1.6x 1.3xmedian 1.6x 1.7xmedian 1.6x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 9.9xmedian 14.6x 9.5xmedian 14.6x 3.3xmedian 14.6x
P/FCF now vs peer median 29.6xmedian 22.7x 17.0xmedian 22.7x 5.2xmedian 22.7x
P/B now vs peer median 3.6xmedian 3.3x -15.4xmedian 3.3x 2.8xmedian 3.3x
PEG now vs peer median 0.76median 0.66 1.08median 0.66 0.26median 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 monthsEHCHCANUTX
Revenue $6.21B $78.01B $846.72M
Gross profit – – $434.03M
Operating income – – $364.27M
Net income $833.30M $7.85B $272.49M
Free cash flow $413.40M $6.00B $274.17M
EPS (diluted) $6.21 $30.70 $25.62
Cash & equivalents $107.70M $1.01B $205.21M
Total debt $2.63B $49.72B $167.65M
Shares (diluted) 100.00M 222.83M 7.02M
Enterprise value $11.91B $98.47B $672.40M

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
MetricEHCHCANUTX
P/E 19.8x 15.1x 8.0x
P/FCF 29.6x 17.0x 5.2x
P/Operating cash flow 10.1x 9.2x 5.1x
P/S 2.0x 1.3x 1.7x
P/B 3.6x -15.4x 2.8x
P/Tangible book 4.0x -15.4x 2.9x
EV/EBITDA 9.9x 9.5x 3.3x
EV/EBIT 12.8x 12.4x 3.5x
EV/Revenue 2.4x 1.9x 1.5x
EV/FCF 35.7x 25.2x 4.6x
EV/Operating cash flow 12.2x 13.6x 4.5x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 0.76 1.08 0.26

Growth

14 metrics
MetricEHCHCANUTX
Revenue growth (1Y) 9.5% 7.3% 6.9%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 10.7% 8.0% 62.5%
Gross profit growth (1Y) – – 6.7%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) – – 273.1%
Operating income growth (1Y) – – 52.9%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) – – 41.4%
Net income growth (1Y) 20.3% 14.1% 119.2%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 26.2% 4.2% 37.7%
EPS growth (1Y) 21.5% 24.4% 206.2%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 26.0% 14.0% 31.2%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 9.7% -6.8% 228.7%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 21.4% 4.2% 446.8%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) -5.9% -17.8% 229.4%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 62.3% 6.7% 266.5%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricEHCHCANUTX
Gross margin – – 51.3%
EBITDA margin 24.2% 20.4% 45.5%
Operating margin – – 43.0%
Pretax margin 16.6% 12.7% 40.6%
Net margin 10.0% 8.8% 21.2%
FCF margin 6.7% 7.7% 32.4%
Operating cash flow margin 19.5% 14.3% 33.0%
Return on equity 24.8% – 57.4%
Return on assets 11.3% 12.6% 28.4%
Return on invested capital 15.4% 22.0% 56.1%
Return on capital employed 17.7% 27.1% 43.2%
Asset turnover 0.8x 1.3x 0.9x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.5x 1.4x 1.0x
Stock comp / revenue 0.9% 0.5% 1.1%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricEHCHCANUTX
Debt / assets 35.3% 78.6% 4.1%
Debt / equity 0.8x -7.5x 0.1x
Net debt / EBITDA 1.7x 3.1x -0.4x
Debt / FCF 6.4x 8.3x 0.1x
Liabilities / assets 54.4% 110.5% 47.4%
Equity / assets 45.6% -10.5% 52.6%
Interest coverage 9.2x 5.3x 18.4x
Current ratio 1.2x 1.0x 5.0x
Quick ratio 0.9x 0.8x 4.8x
Cash ratio 0.1x 0.1x 1.8x
Altman Z-score – 2.61 4.34

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricEHCHCANUTX
Dividend yield 0.6% 0.7% –
Net buyback yield 2.0% 8.5% -0.1%
Shareholder yield 2.6% 9.2% -0.1%
Payout ratio (earnings) 9.0% – 30.9%
Payout ratio (FCF) 18.2% – 30.7%
Dividend growth (1Y) 12.1% – 260.2%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) 0.9% – 140.0%

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.

ConsensusEHCHCANUTX
Forward P/E 20.9xFY2026 15.5xFY2026 7.4xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $5.94FY2026 $30.21FY2026 $28.42FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +9.0%FY2026 +7.1%FY2026 +171.2%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +7.1% +11.0% -8.2%
Revenue, next fiscal year $6.62BFY2026 $73.04BFY2026 $825.55MFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +11.5%FY2026 -3.4%FY2026 -5.7%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +9.2% +18.8% +19.7%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersEHCHCANUTX
Held by institutions 96.0% 59.5% 42.8%
Institutions holding 595 1,333 153
Change in shares held, QoQ -0.8% +0.3% +5.8%
Institutions buying 292 567 99
Institutions selling 217 563 36
Buyers to sellers 1.35 1.01 2.75

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.

EHCHCANUTX
EHC 1.00 0.28 0.06
HCA 0.28 1.00 0.01
NUTX 0.06 0.01 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

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Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, EHC, HCA and NUTX?

HCA Healthcare (HCA) is the largest by market capitalisation: Encompass Health (EHC) $12.25B, HCA Healthcare (HCA) $102.46B, Nutex Health (NUTX) $1.44B.

Which stock is cheaper, EHC, HCA and NUTX?

Nutex Health (NUTX) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Encompass Health (EHC) 19.7x, HCA Healthcare (HCA) 15.0x, Nutex Health (NUTX) 8.0x). On next year's consensus earnings, Nutex Health (NUTX) is cheapest (Encompass Health (EHC) 20.9x, HCA Healthcare (HCA) 15.5x, Nutex Health (NUTX) 7.4x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Encompass Health (EHC) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Encompass Health (EHC) +9.5%, HCA Healthcare (HCA) +7.3%, Nutex Health (NUTX) +6.9%.

Which company is more profitable?

Nutex Health (NUTX) has the highest net margin (Encompass Health (EHC) 10.0%, HCA Healthcare (HCA) 8.8%, Nutex Health (NUTX) 21.2%). On return on invested capital, Nutex Health (NUTX) leads (Encompass Health (EHC) 15.4%, HCA Healthcare (HCA) 22.0%, Nutex Health (NUTX) 56.1%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Nutex Health (NUTX) returned the most: Encompass Health (EHC) -1.8%, HCA Healthcare (HCA) +6.6%, Nutex Health (NUTX) +78.7%. Over five years, HCA Healthcare (HCA) compounded fastest (Encompass Health (EHC) +12.0%/yr, HCA Healthcare (HCA) +13.1%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Nutex Health (NUTX) has the highest dividend yield: Encompass Health (EHC) 0.01%, HCA Healthcare (HCA) 0.00%, Nutex Health (NUTX) 0.06%. HCA Healthcare (HCA) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Encompass Health (EHC) has been the steadiest (Encompass Health (EHC) 29.4%, HCA Healthcare (HCA) 31.3%, Nutex Health (NUTX) 89.5%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, EHC, HCA and NUTX?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Nutex Health (NUTX) leads on 8. 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.