HCA vs EHC vs NUTX Stock Comparison

HCA Healthcare, Encompass Health and Nutex Health Prices as of Oct 23, 2026 Peers: Industry group
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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
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
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.

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

Percentile Scorecard

HCAEHCNUTX

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

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

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

Risk

MeasureHCAEHCNUTXSPY
Volatility, 1Y 31.3%29.4%89.5% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 30.6%24.8%88.4% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.170.041.82 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.21-0.060.88 1.03
Max drawdown, 5Y -39.7%-39.1%-99.9% -25.4%
From 52-week high -13.9%-2.9%-6.8% -2.5%
52-week high $545.13$127.92$225.00 $779.14
52-week low $361.32$93.83$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.

MultipleHCAEHCNUTX
P/E now vs peer median 15.1xmedian 25.3x 19.8xmedian 25.3x 8.0xmedian 25.3x
P/S now vs peer median 1.3xmedian 1.6x 2.0xmedian 1.6x 1.7xmedian 1.6x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 9.5xmedian 14.6x 9.9xmedian 14.6x 3.3xmedian 14.6x
P/FCF now vs peer median 17.0xmedian 22.7x 29.6xmedian 22.7x 5.2xmedian 22.7x
P/B now vs peer median -15.4xmedian 3.3x 3.6xmedian 3.3x 2.8xmedian 3.3x
PEG now vs peer median 1.08median 0.66 0.76median 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 monthsHCAEHCNUTX
Revenue $78.01B $6.21B $846.72M
Gross profit – – $434.03M
Operating income – – $364.27M
Net income $7.85B $833.30M $272.49M
Free cash flow $6.00B $413.40M $274.17M
EPS (diluted) $30.70 $6.21 $25.62
Cash & equivalents $1.01B $107.70M $205.21M
Total debt $49.72B $2.63B $167.65M
Shares (diluted) 222.83M 100.00M 7.02M
Enterprise value $98.47B $11.91B $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
MetricHCAEHCNUTX
P/E 15.1x 19.8x 8.0x
P/FCF 17.0x 29.6x 5.2x
P/Operating cash flow 9.2x 10.1x 5.1x
P/S 1.3x 2.0x 1.7x
P/B -15.4x 3.6x 2.8x
P/Tangible book -15.4x 4.0x 2.9x
EV/EBITDA 9.5x 9.9x 3.3x
EV/EBIT 12.4x 12.8x 3.5x
EV/Revenue 1.9x 2.4x 1.5x
EV/FCF 25.2x 35.7x 4.6x
EV/Operating cash flow 13.6x 12.2x 4.5x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 1.08 0.76 0.26

Growth

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

Profitability

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

Financial Health

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

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricHCAEHCNUTX
Dividend yield 0.7% 0.6% –
Net buyback yield 8.5% 2.0% -0.1%
Shareholder yield 9.2% 2.6% -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.

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

Institutional Ownership

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

HCAEHCNUTX
HCA 1.00 0.28 0.01
EHC 0.28 1.00 0.06
NUTX 0.01 0.06 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

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Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, HCA, EHC and NUTX?

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

Which stock is cheaper, HCA, EHC and NUTX?

Nutex Health (NUTX) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (HCA Healthcare (HCA) 15.0x, Encompass Health (EHC) 19.7x, Nutex Health (NUTX) 8.0x). On next year's consensus earnings, Nutex Health (NUTX) is cheapest (HCA Healthcare (HCA) 15.5x, Encompass Health (EHC) 20.9x, 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: HCA Healthcare (HCA) +7.3%, Encompass Health (EHC) +9.5%, Nutex Health (NUTX) +6.9%.

Which company is more profitable?

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

Which stock has performed better?

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

Which pays a higher dividend?

Nutex Health (NUTX) has the highest dividend yield: HCA Healthcare (HCA) 0.00%, Encompass Health (EHC) 0.01%, 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 (HCA Healthcare (HCA) 31.3%, Encompass Health (EHC) 29.4%, Nutex Health (NUTX) 89.5%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, HCA, EHC 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.