HCA vs UHS: HCA and Universal Health Services compared
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 9.1 times Universal Health Services.
- Universal Health Services grew revenue faster over the last year (+8.3% vs +4.3%).
- HCA keeps more of each dollar of revenue as operating profit (12.8% vs 11.4%).
- On earnings, Universal Health Services is the cheaper stock (7.2x vs 14.7x).
- HCA's price assumes faster free cash flow growth: about -1% a year, against -1% for Universal Health Services (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.
| Measure | HCA | UHS |
|---|---|---|
| Market cap | $94.7B | $10.4B |
| Share price | $451.09 | $177.35 |
| Revenue (last fiscal year) | $75.6B | $17.4B |
| Free cash flow (last fiscal year) | $7.7B | $849M |
| Revenue growth, last year | +4.3% | +8.3% |
| Revenue growth per year, last 5 fiscal years | +6.5% | +8.3% |
| Operating margin | 12.8% | 11.4% |
| Net margin | 8.9% | 8.4% |
| Return on equity | — | 20.3% |
| P/E (trailing) | 14.7x | 7.21x |
| Price / free cash flow | 12.3x | 12.3x |
| EV / EBITDA | 9.60x | 5.52x |
| FCF growth the price implies | -1.4% | -1.4% |
| Dividend yield | 0.66% | 0.45% |
| Debt / equity | — | 1.11x |
| Fundamental grade | C | C |
| Superinvestors holding it | 12 | 6 |
| Insider purchases, last 12 months | 0 | 4 |
Results from SEC filings
Revenue and free cash flow by fiscal year, from each company's 10-K filings.
HCA
| Year | Revenue | Free cash flow | Op. margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | $58.8B | $5.4B | 16.7% |
| 2022 | $60.2B | $4.1B | 14.2% |
| 2023 | $65.0B | $4.7B | 11.9% |
| 2024 | $70.6B | $5.6B | 12.1% |
| 2025 | $75.6B | $7.7B | 13.0% |
Universal Health Services
| Year | Revenue | Free cash flow | Op. margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | $12.6B | $28M | 10.8% |
| 2022 | $13.4B | $262M | 7.5% |
| 2023 | $14.3B | $525M | 8.2% |
| 2024 | $15.8B | $1.1B | 10.6% |
| 2025 | $17.4B | $849M | 11.5% |
Where the revenue comes from
HCA · by segments, 2023
American Group$22.3B34%
Atlantic Group$21.2B33%
National Group$18.1B28%
Corporate and Other$3.4B5%
Universal Health Services · by segments, 2025
Acute Care Hospital Services$9.9B57%
Behavioral Health Services$7.4B43%
Other$13M0%
Compare them in fullFifteen years of statements, quarterly results, DCF and IRR models, and any number of peers side by side.
Open HCA in InvestinglyQuestions
Which is bigger, HCA or Universal Health Services?
HCA (HCA), at $94.7B against $10.4B.
Is HCA or UHS cheaper?
By trailing P/E, Universal Health Services (7.21x) is cheaper than HCA (14.7x). A lower multiple can also mean the market expects less growth.
Which grows faster, HCA or UHS?
Universal Health Services: revenue grew +8.3% 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.