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ABT vs. EHC: Abbott Laboratories vs. Encompass Health Stock Comparison

How do Abbott Laboratories (ABT) and Encompass Health (EHC) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

Abbott Laboratories (ABT) and Encompass Health (EHC) both fall under the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group, but ABT is classified in Health Care Equipment & Supplies while EHC is classified in Health Care Providers & Services.

Company profile comparison for Abbott Laboratories (ABT) and Encompass Health (EHC)
Profile ItemABTEHC
NameAbbott LaboratoriesEncompass Health Corporation
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorHealth CareHealth Care
GICS Industry GroupHealth Care Equipment & ServicesHealth Care Equipment & Services
GICS IndustryHealth Care Equipment & SuppliesHealth Care Providers & Services
GICS Sub-IndustryHealth Care EquipmentHealth Care Facilities
Market Capitalization190.39 billion USD13.50 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENYSE
Listing DateMarch 17, 1980September 24, 1986
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

ABT
EHC
GSPC
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Abbott Laboratories (ABT) vs. Encompass Health (EHC), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for Abbott Laboratories (ABT) and Encompass Health (EHC). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Abbott Laboratories (ABT) and Encompass Health (EHC). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Abbott Laboratories (ABT) and Encompass Health (EHC)
MetricABTEHC
Total Return (1Y)-10.78%22.16%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)7.79%30.96%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)-0.79%23.55%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

ABT
EHC
GSPC
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Abbott Laboratories (ABT) vs. Encompass Health (EHC), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for Abbott Laboratories (ABT) and Encompass Health (EHC). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Abbott Laboratories (ABT) and Encompass Health (EHC)
MetricABTEHC
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)28.48%30.54%
Beta (5Y)0.530.82
Max Drawdown (5Y)-39.64%-27.33%
Avg. Volume (3M)8.74M996.79K

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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ABT and EHC are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Abbott Laboratories (ABT) and Encompass Health (EHC)
MetricABTEHC
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)-0.530.59
Sortino Ratio (1Y)-0.761.08

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Encompass Health (EHC) at 25.11% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Abbott Laboratories (ABT) at 9.14% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for EHC.

ABT

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

9.14%

Max
47.61%
Q3
14.36%
ABT
9.14%
Median
5.45%
Q1
-10.67%
Min
-47.01%

EHC

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

25.11%

Max
47.61%
EHC
25.11%
Q3
14.36%
Median
5.45%
Q1
-10.67%
Min
-47.01%
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Abbott Laboratories (ABT) vs. Encompass Health (EHC): A comparison of their ROE against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

For every dollar of sales, both Abbott Laboratories (ABT) at 9.75% and Encompass Health (EHC) at 10.17% retain more as net profit than most peers, landing in the top net margin quartile of their industries.

ABT

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

9.75%

Max
29.35%
ABT
9.75%
Q3
9.33%
Median
2.18%
Q1
-6.29%
Min
-28.46%

EHC

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

10.17%

Max
29.35%
EHC
10.17%
Q3
9.33%
Median
2.18%
Q1
-6.29%
Min
-28.46%
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Abbott Laboratories (ABT) vs. Encompass Health (EHC): A comparison of their net margin against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Encompass Health (EHC) at 18.07% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of Abbott Laboratories (ABT) at 11.66%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

ABT

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

11.66%

Max
35.43%
Q3
14.14%
ABT
11.66%
Median
6.81%
Q1
-0.28%
Min
-16.29%

EHC

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

18.07%

Max
35.43%
EHC
18.07%
Q3
14.14%
Median
6.81%
Q1
-0.28%
Min
-16.29%
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Abbott Laboratories (ABT) vs. Encompass Health (EHC): A comparison of their operating margin against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Abbott Laboratories (ABT) and Encompass Health (EHC)
MetricABTEHC
ROE (TTM)9.14%25.11%
ROA (TTM)4.90%10.08%
Net Margin (TTM)9.75%10.17%
Operating Margin (TTM)11.66%18.07%
Gross Margin (TTM)57.17%44.15%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Abbott Laboratories (ABT) at 5.67% and Encompass Health (EHC) at 10.46% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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Abbott Laboratories (ABT) vs. Encompass Health (EHC): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Encompass Health (EHC) at 24.22% is around its peer norm for EPS growth, while Abbott Laboratories (ABT) at -51.31% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker earnings momentum.

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Abbott Laboratories (ABT) vs. Encompass Health (EHC): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Abbott Laboratories (ABT) and Encompass Health (EHC)
MetricABTEHC
Revenue Growth (YoY)5.67%10.46%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)0.51%10.92%
EPS Growth (YoY)-51.31%24.22%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)-1.65%27.07%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Abbott Laboratories (ABT) at 1.46 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Encompass Health (EHC) at 1.09 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for EHC.

ABT

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

1.46

Max
7.59
Q3
4.00
Median
1.98
ABT
1.46
Q1
1.37
Min
0.30

EHC

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

1.09

Max
7.59
Q3
4.00
Median
1.98
Q1
1.37
EHC
1.09
Min
0.30
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Abbott Laboratories (ABT) vs. Encompass Health (EHC): A comparison of their current ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Abbott Laboratories (ABT) at 0.61 and Encompass Health (EHC) at 0.79 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

ABT

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.61

Max
1.88
Q3
0.91
ABT
0.61
Median
0.58
Q1
0.16
Min
0.00

EHC

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.79

Max
1.88
Q3
0.91
EHC
0.79
Median
0.58
Q1
0.16
Min
0.00
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Abbott Laboratories (ABT) vs. Encompass Health (EHC): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Abbott Laboratories (ABT) and Encompass Health (EHC)
MetricABTEHC
Current Ratio (MRQ)1.461.09
Debt / Equity (MRQ)0.610.79
Net Debt / EBITDA2.371.79

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Abbott Laboratories (ABT) at 2.22% and Encompass Health (EHC) at 0.55% yield above their industries’ entire benchmark ranges — high enough that dividend safety, not income, becomes the first question.

ABT

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

2.22%

ABT
2.22%
Max
0.00%
Q3
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

EHC

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.55%

EHC
0.55%
Max
0.00%
Q3
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Abbott Laboratories (ABT) vs. Encompass Health (EHC): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both Abbott Laboratories (ABT) at 92.54% and Encompass Health (EHC) at 12.48% pay out more of their earnings than any of their industry peers — the thinnest cover in their groups, so dividend headroom deserves attention.

ABT

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

92.54%

ABT
92.54%
Max
0.00%
Q3
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

EHC

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

12.48%

EHC
12.48%
Max
0.00%
Q3
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Abbott Laboratories (ABT) vs. Encompass Health (EHC): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Abbott Laboratories (ABT) and Encompass Health (EHC)
MetricABTEHC
Dividend Yield (TTM)2.22%0.55%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)92.54%12.48%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Abbott Laboratories (ABT) at 41.02 and Encompass Health (EHC) at 22.01 land around their industries’ usual P/E ratio levels — neither is getting a clear earnings-multiple discount or premium versus peers.

ABT

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

41.02

Max
80.41
Q3
47.62
ABT
41.02
Median
29.93
Q1
21.19
Min
4.21

EHC

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

22.01

Max
80.41
Q3
47.62
Median
29.93
EHC
22.01
Q1
21.19
Min
4.21
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Abbott Laboratories (ABT) vs. Encompass Health (EHC): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

On P/S ratio, both Abbott Laboratories (ABT) at 3.95 and Encompass Health (EHC) at 2.13 are priced roughly in line with their industries — neither looks cheap nor rich on a sales basis.

ABT

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

3.95

Max
8.80
Q3
4.32
ABT
3.95
Median
2.13
Q1
1.10
Min
0.03

EHC

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

2.13

Max
8.80
Q3
4.32
EHC
2.13
Median
2.13
Q1
1.10
Min
0.03
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Abbott Laboratories (ABT) vs. Encompass Health (EHC): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

On P/B ratio, both Abbott Laboratories (ABT) at 3.73 and Encompass Health (EHC) at 5.04 are valued close to their industries’ norm against book — neither stands out from peers.

ABT

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

3.73

Max
11.68
Q3
6.12
ABT
3.73
Median
3.00
Q1
1.73
Min
-1.31

EHC

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

5.04

Max
11.68
Q3
6.12
EHC
5.04
Median
3.00
Q1
1.73
Min
-1.31
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Abbott Laboratories (ABT) vs. Encompass Health (EHC): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Abbott Laboratories (ABT) and Encompass Health (EHC)
MetricABTEHC
P/E Ratio (TTM)41.0222.01
P/S Ratio (TTM)3.952.13
P/B Ratio (MRQ)3.735.04
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)3.19%1.97%