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ABT vs. UHS: Abbott Laboratories vs. Universal Health Services Stock Comparison

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

Company profile comparison for Abbott Laboratories (ABT) and Universal Health Services (UHS)
Profile ItemABTUHS
NameAbbott LaboratoriesUniversal Health Services Inc. Class B Common Stock
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 USD11.52 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENYSE
Listing DateMarch 17, 1980July 9, 1981
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

ABT
UHS
GSPC
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Abbott Laboratories (ABT) vs. Universal Health Services (UHS), 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 Universal Health Services (UHS). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Abbott Laboratories (ABT) and Universal Health Services (UHS)
MetricABTUHS
Total Return (1Y)-10.78%-12.89%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)7.79%16.25%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)-0.79%9.70%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

ABT
UHS
GSPC
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Abbott Laboratories (ABT) vs. Universal Health Services (UHS), 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 Universal Health Services (UHS). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Abbott Laboratories (ABT) and Universal Health Services (UHS)
MetricABTUHS
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)28.48%34.26%
Beta (5Y)0.531.06
Max Drawdown (5Y)-39.64%-43.34%
Avg. Volume (3M)8.74M707.83K

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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ABT and UHS 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 Universal Health Services (UHS)
MetricABTUHS
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)-0.53-0.50
Sortino Ratio (1Y)-0.76-0.70

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Universal Health Services (UHS) at 19.74% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Abbott Laboratories (ABT) at 9.14% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for UHS.

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%

UHS

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

19.74%

Max
47.61%
UHS
19.74%
Q3
14.36%
Median
5.45%
Q1
-10.67%
Min
-47.01%
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Abbott Laboratories (ABT) vs. Universal Health Services (UHS): A comparison of their ROE against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Abbott Laboratories (ABT) at 9.75% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of Universal Health Services (UHS) at 7.97%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

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%

UHS

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

7.97%

Max
29.35%
Q3
9.33%
UHS
7.97%
Median
2.18%
Q1
-6.29%
Min
-28.46%
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Abbott Laboratories (ABT) vs. Universal Health Services (UHS): A comparison of their net margin against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Abbott Laboratories (ABT) at 11.66% and Universal Health Services (UHS) at 9.60% run core operations about as efficiently as their industries’ norm — neither stands out on operating profitability.

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%

UHS

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

9.60%

Max
35.43%
Q3
14.14%
UHS
9.60%
Median
6.81%
Q1
-0.28%
Min
-16.29%
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Abbott Laboratories (ABT) vs. Universal Health Services (UHS): A comparison of their operating margin against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Abbott Laboratories (ABT) and Universal Health Services (UHS)
MetricABTUHS
ROE (TTM)9.14%19.74%
ROA (TTM)4.90%7.65%
Net Margin (TTM)9.75%7.97%
Operating Margin (TTM)11.66%9.60%
Gross Margin (TTM)57.17%44.51%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Abbott Laboratories (ABT) at 5.67% and Universal Health Services (UHS) at 9.71% 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. Universal Health Services (UHS): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Universal Health Services (UHS) at 37.34% sits in the top EPS growth quartile, while Abbott Laboratories (ABT) at -51.31% is in the bottom quartile, showing a clear gap in earnings momentum.

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Abbott Laboratories (ABT) vs. Universal Health Services (UHS): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Abbott Laboratories (ABT) and Universal Health Services (UHS)
MetricABTUHS
Revenue Growth (YoY)5.67%9.71%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)0.51%9.03%
EPS Growth (YoY)-51.31%37.34%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)-1.65%36.21%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Abbott Laboratories (ABT) at 1.46 and Universal Health Services (UHS) at 1.37 carry current ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges, suggesting balanced short-term liquidity relative to peers.

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

UHS

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

1.37

Max
7.59
Q3
4.00
Median
1.98
UHS
1.37
Q1
1.37
Min
0.30
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Abbott Laboratories (ABT) vs. Universal Health Services (UHS): 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 Universal Health Services (UHS) at 0.80 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

UHS

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.80

Max
1.88
Q3
0.91
UHS
0.80
Median
0.58
Q1
0.16
Min
0.00
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Abbott Laboratories (ABT) vs. Universal Health Services (UHS): 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 Universal Health Services (UHS)
MetricABTUHS
Current Ratio (MRQ)1.461.37
Debt / Equity (MRQ)0.610.80
Net Debt / EBITDA2.372.27

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Abbott Laboratories (ABT) at 2.22% and Universal Health Services (UHS) at 0.10% 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%

UHS

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.10%

UHS
0.10%
Max
0.00%
Q3
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Abbott Laboratories (ABT) vs. Universal Health Services (UHS): 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 Universal Health Services (UHS) at 3.35% 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%

UHS

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

3.35%

UHS
3.35%
Max
0.00%
Q3
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Abbott Laboratories (ABT) vs. Universal Health Services (UHS): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Abbott Laboratories (ABT) and Universal Health Services (UHS)
MetricABTUHS
Dividend Yield (TTM)2.22%0.10%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)92.54%3.35%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Universal Health Services (UHS) at 8.18 sits in the cheaper P/E ratio quartile, while Abbott Laboratories (ABT) at 41.02 is closer to its industry’s usual earnings multiple — a discount for UHS, though growth and earnings durability still matter.

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

UHS

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

8.18

Max
80.41
Q3
47.62
Median
29.93
Q1
21.19
UHS
8.18
Min
4.21
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Abbott Laboratories (ABT) vs. Universal Health Services (UHS): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Universal Health Services (UHS) at 0.63 sits in the cheaper P/S ratio quartile while Abbott Laboratories (ABT) at 3.95 prices around its industry’s middle — UHS costs less per dollar of sales, though read it alongside growth and margins.

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

UHS

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.63

Max
8.80
Q3
4.32
Median
2.13
Q1
1.10
UHS
0.63
Min
0.03
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Abbott Laboratories (ABT) vs. Universal Health Services (UHS): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Universal Health Services (UHS) at 1.51 sits in the lower P/B ratio quartile against book while Abbott Laboratories (ABT) at 3.73 is valued near its industry’s middle — UHS is cheaper on assets, though weigh it against ROE and asset quality.

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

UHS

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

1.51

Max
11.68
Q3
6.12
Median
3.00
Q1
1.73
UHS
1.51
Min
-1.31
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Abbott Laboratories (ABT) vs. Universal Health Services (UHS): 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 Universal Health Services (UHS)
MetricABTUHS
P/E Ratio (TTM)41.028.18
P/S Ratio (TTM)3.950.63
P/B Ratio (MRQ)3.731.51
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)3.19%6.47%