The short version

From the latest prices and each company's SEC filings. Who's ahead on each measure, not which to buy.

  • HCA is the larger company, worth $94.7B, about 7.9 times Encompass Health.
  • Encompass Health grew revenue faster over the last year (+9.6% vs +4.3%).
  • Encompass Health keeps more of each dollar of revenue as operating profit (18.0% vs 12.8%).
  • On earnings, HCA is the cheaper stock (14.7x vs 20.6x).
  • Encompass Health's price assumes faster free cash flow growth: about 9% a year, against -1% for HCA (reverse DCF).

Side by side

The stronger figure is shaded where higher (or, for valuation multiples, lower) reads as better. How the implied growth works.

MeasureEHCHCA
Market cap$11.9B$94.7B
Share price$123.33$451.09
Revenue (last fiscal year)$5.9B$75.6B
Free cash flow (last fiscal year)$439M$7.7B
Revenue growth, last year+9.6%+4.3%
Revenue growth per year, last 5 fiscal years+10.3%+6.5%
Operating margin18.0%12.8%
Net margin10.0%8.9%
Return on equity23.9%—
P/E (trailing)20.6x14.7x
Price / free cash flow27.1x12.3x
EV / EBITDA9.86x9.60x
FCF growth the price implies9.0%-1.4%
Dividend yield0.61%0.66%
Debt / equity1.54x—
Fundamental gradeCC
Superinvestors holding it412
Insider purchases, last 12 months20

Results from SEC filings

Revenue and free cash flow by fiscal year, from each company's 10-K filings.

Encompass Health

YearRevenueFree cash flowOp. margin
2021$4.0B$177M13.9%
2022$4.3B$132M12.4%
2023$4.8B$268M15.2%
2024$5.4B$360M16.1%
2025$5.9B$439M17.7%

HCA

YearRevenueFree cash flowOp. margin
2021$58.8B$5.4B16.7%
2022$60.2B$4.1B14.2%
2023$65.0B$4.7B11.9%
2024$70.6B$5.6B12.1%
2025$75.6B$7.7B13.0%

Where the revenue comes from

Encompass Health · by segments, 2021

Inpatient Rehabilitation$4.0B78%
Home Health and Hospice$1.1B22%

HCA · by segments, 2023

American Group$22.3B34%
Atlantic Group$21.2B33%
National Group$18.1B28%
Corporate and Other$3.4B5%
Compare them in fullFifteen years of statements, quarterly results, DCF and IRR models, and any number of peers side by side.
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Questions

Which is bigger, Encompass Health or HCA?

HCA (HCA), at $94.7B against $11.9B.

Is EHC or HCA cheaper?

By trailing P/E, HCA (14.7x) is cheaper than Encompass Health (20.6x). A lower multiple can also mean the market expects less growth.

Which grows faster, EHC or HCA?

Encompass Health: revenue grew +9.6% over the last year, against +4.3%.

Prices and ratios as of the last daily update; statements from SEC filings. Information only, not investment advice.