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ALGN vs. HCA: Align vs. HCA Healthcare Stock Comparison

How do Align (ALGN) and HCA Healthcare (HCA) 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

Align (ALGN) and HCA Healthcare (HCA) both fall under the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group, but ALGN is classified in Health Care Equipment & Supplies while HCA is classified in Health Care Providers & Services.

Company profile comparison for Align (ALGN) and HCA Healthcare (HCA)
Profile ItemALGNHCA
NameAlign Technology Inc.HCA Healthcare, Inc.
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 SuppliesHealth Care Facilities
Market Capitalization11.70 billion USD103.40 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNasdaqNYSE
Listing DateJanuary 30, 2001March 10, 2011
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

ALGN
HCA
GSPC
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Align (ALGN) vs. HCA Healthcare (HCA), 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 Align (ALGN) and HCA Healthcare (HCA). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Align (ALGN) and HCA Healthcare (HCA). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Align (ALGN) and HCA Healthcare (HCA)
MetricALGNHCA
Total Return (1Y)27.43%6.56%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)-2.84%31.39%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)-24.73%16.40%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

ALGN
HCA
GSPC
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Align (ALGN) vs. HCA Healthcare (HCA), 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 Align (ALGN) and HCA Healthcare (HCA). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Align (ALGN) and HCA Healthcare (HCA)
MetricALGNHCA
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)40.49%32.89%
Beta (5Y)1.671.07
Max Drawdown (5Y)-82.44%-39.49%
Avg. Volume (3M)942.14K1.35M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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ALGN and HCA 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 Align (ALGN) and HCA Healthcare (HCA)
MetricALGNHCA
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)0.570.07
Sortino Ratio (1Y)0.890.11

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Capital efficiency shows on one side only: Align (ALGN) earns 11.91% on shareholders’ equity, ranked against its industry; HCA Healthcare (HCA) has no ROE this period.

ALGN

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

11.91%

Max
47.61%
Q3
14.36%
ALGN
11.91%
Median
5.45%
Q1
-10.67%
Min
-47.01%

HCA

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

--

Max
47.61%
Q3
14.36%
Median
5.45%
Q1
-10.67%
Min
-47.01%
HCA
--
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Align (ALGN) vs. HCA Healthcare (HCA): HCA does not report ROE, so it has no value marker; ALGN is benchmarked against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group.

Net Margin (TTM)

Align (ALGN) at 11.83% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of HCA Healthcare (HCA) at 8.61%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

ALGN

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

11.83%

Max
29.35%
ALGN
11.83%
Q3
9.33%
Median
2.18%
Q1
-6.29%
Min
-28.46%

HCA

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

8.61%

Max
29.35%
Q3
9.33%
HCA
8.61%
Median
2.18%
Q1
-6.29%
Min
-28.46%
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Align (ALGN) vs. HCA Healthcare (HCA): A comparison of their net margin against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Align (ALGN) at 20.13% and HCA Healthcare (HCA) at 14.83% convert sales into operating profit at a top-quartile rate, pointing to tighter cost discipline before financing and tax.

ALGN

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

20.13%

Max
35.43%
ALGN
20.13%
Q3
14.14%
Median
6.81%
Q1
-0.28%
Min
-16.29%

HCA

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

14.83%

Max
35.43%
HCA
14.83%
Q3
14.14%
Median
6.81%
Q1
-0.28%
Min
-16.29%
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Align (ALGN) vs. HCA Healthcare (HCA): A comparison of their operating margin against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Align (ALGN) and HCA Healthcare (HCA)
MetricALGNHCA
ROE (TTM)11.91%--
ROA (TTM)8.01%12.23%
Net Margin (TTM)11.83%8.61%
Operating Margin (TTM)20.13%14.83%
Gross Margin (TTM)71.53%42.76%

Growth

Revenue Growth

HCA Healthcare (HCA) at 7.08% is around its peer norm for revenue growth, while Align (ALGN) at 0.90% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker demand or pricing momentum.

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Align (ALGN) vs. HCA Healthcare (HCA): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

HCA Healthcare (HCA) at 28.77% sits in the top EPS growth quartile, while Align (ALGN) at 0.53% is closer to the peer norm — faster per-share earnings growth for HCA.

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Align (ALGN) vs. HCA Healthcare (HCA): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Align (ALGN) and HCA Healthcare (HCA)
MetricALGNHCA
Revenue Growth (YoY)0.90%7.08%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)2.61%7.87%
EPS Growth (YoY)0.53%28.77%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)7.02%13.94%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Align (ALGN) at 1.43 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while HCA Healthcare (HCA) at 0.82 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for HCA.

ALGN

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

1.43

Max
7.59
Q3
4.00
Median
1.98
ALGN
1.43
Q1
1.37
Min
0.30

HCA

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.82

Max
7.59
Q3
4.00
Median
1.98
Q1
1.37
HCA
0.82
Min
0.30
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Align (ALGN) vs. HCA Healthcare (HCA): A comparison of their current ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Only one side’s leverage can be read here: Align (ALGN) carries debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03 against its industry range, while HCA Healthcare (HCA) reports no figure this period.

ALGN

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.03

Max
1.88
Q3
0.91
Median
0.58
Q1
0.16
ALGN
0.03
Min
0.00

HCA

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

--

Max
1.88
Q3
0.91
Median
0.58
Q1
0.16
Min
0.00
HCA
--
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Align (ALGN) vs. HCA Healthcare (HCA): HCA does not report debt-to-equity ratio, so it has no value marker; ALGN is benchmarked against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Align (ALGN) and HCA Healthcare (HCA)
MetricALGNHCA
Current Ratio (MRQ)1.430.82
Debt / Equity (MRQ)0.03--
Net Debt / EBITDA-1.043.26

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Align (ALGN) pays no dividend (yield 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile HCA Healthcare (HCA) reports a yield of 0.60%, ranking against industry peers normally.

ALGN

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.00%

ALGN
0.00%
Max
0.00%
Q3
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

HCA

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.60%

HCA
0.60%
Max
0.00%
Q3
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Align (ALGN) vs. HCA Healthcare (HCA): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Align (ALGN) pays no dividend (payout 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile HCA Healthcare (HCA) reports a payout of 10.15%, ranking against industry peers normally.

ALGN

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.00%

ALGN
0.00%
Max
0.00%
Q3
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

HCA

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

10.15%

HCA
10.15%
Max
0.00%
Q3
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Align (ALGN) vs. HCA Healthcare (HCA): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Align (ALGN) and HCA Healthcare (HCA)
MetricALGNHCA
Dividend Yield (TTM)0.00%0.60%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)0.00%10.15%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

HCA Healthcare (HCA) at 16.42 sits in the cheaper P/E ratio quartile, while Align (ALGN) at 24.20 is closer to its industry’s usual earnings multiple — a discount for HCA, though growth and earnings durability still matter.

ALGN

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

24.20

Max
80.41
Q3
47.62
Median
29.93
ALGN
24.20
Q1
21.19
Min
4.21

HCA

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

16.42

Max
80.41
Q3
47.62
Median
29.93
Q1
21.19
HCA
16.42
Min
4.21
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Align (ALGN) vs. HCA Healthcare (HCA): 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 Align (ALGN) at 2.81 and HCA Healthcare (HCA) at 1.31 are priced roughly in line with their industries — neither looks cheap nor rich on a sales basis.

ALGN

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

2.81

Max
8.80
Q3
4.32
ALGN
2.81
Median
2.13
Q1
1.10
Min
0.03

HCA

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

1.31

Max
8.80
Q3
4.32
Median
2.13
HCA
1.31
Q1
1.10
Min
0.03
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Align (ALGN) vs. HCA Healthcare (HCA): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

HCA Healthcare (HCA) reports a negative P/B ratio of -12.92, meaning negative book equity — the multiple itself is not meaningful for valuation. Meanwhile Align (ALGN) reports 2.73, ranking against industry peers normally.

ALGN

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

2.73

Max
11.68
Q3
6.12
Median
3.00
ALGN
2.73
Q1
1.73
Min
-1.31

HCA

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

-12.92

Max
11.68
Q3
6.12
Median
3.00
Q1
1.73
Min
-1.31
HCA
-12.92
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Align (ALGN) vs. HCA Healthcare (HCA): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Align (ALGN) and HCA Healthcare (HCA)
MetricALGNHCA
P/E Ratio (TTM)24.2016.42
P/S Ratio (TTM)2.811.31
P/B Ratio (MRQ)2.73-12.92
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)4.90%3.81%