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COR vs. HCA: Cencora vs. HCA Healthcare Stock Comparison

How do Cencora (COR) 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

Cencora (COR) and HCA Healthcare (HCA) both belong to the Health Care Providers & Services industry, though COR is classified under Health Care Distributors while HCA falls under Health Care Facilities.

Company profile comparison for Cencora (COR) and HCA Healthcare (HCA)
Profile ItemCORHCA
NameCencora Inc.HCA Healthcare, Inc.
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorHealth CareHealth Care
GICS Industry GroupHealth Care Equipment & ServicesHealth Care Equipment & Services
GICS IndustryHealth Care Providers & ServicesHealth Care Providers & Services
GICS Sub-IndustryHealth Care DistributorsHealth Care Facilities
Market Capitalization63.65 billion USD103.40 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENYSE
Listing DateApril 4, 1995March 10, 2011
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

COR
HCA
GSPC
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Cencora (COR) 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 Cencora (COR) and HCA Healthcare (HCA). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Cencora (COR) and HCA Healthcare (HCA)
MetricCORHCA
Total Return (1Y)-3.53%6.56%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)21.62%31.39%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)24.10%16.40%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

COR
HCA
GSPC
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Cencora (COR) 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 Cencora (COR) and HCA Healthcare (HCA). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Cencora (COR) and HCA Healthcare (HCA)
MetricCORHCA
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)31.90%32.89%
Beta (5Y)0.561.07
Max Drawdown (5Y)-32.44%-39.49%
Avg. Volume (3M)1.29M1.35M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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COR 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 Cencora (COR) and HCA Healthcare (HCA)
MetricCORHCA
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)-0.240.07
Sortino Ratio (1Y)-0.300.11

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Capital efficiency shows on one side only: Cencora (COR) earns 129.01% on shareholders’ equity, ranked against its industry; HCA Healthcare (HCA) has no ROE this period.

COR

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

129.01%

COR
129.01%
Max
47.61%
Q3
14.36%
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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Cencora (COR) vs. HCA Healthcare (HCA): HCA does not report ROE, so it has no value marker; COR is benchmarked against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group.

Net Margin (TTM)

Both Cencora (COR) at 1.03% and HCA Healthcare (HCA) at 8.61% keep about the typical share of revenue as profit for their industries — neither bottom line stands out from peers.

COR

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

1.03%

Max
29.35%
Q3
9.33%
Median
2.18%
COR
1.03%
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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Cencora (COR) vs. HCA Healthcare (HCA): A comparison of their net margin against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

HCA Healthcare (HCA) at 14.83% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of Cencora (COR) at 1.27%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

COR

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

1.27%

Max
35.43%
Q3
14.14%
Median
6.81%
COR
1.27%
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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Cencora (COR) vs. HCA Healthcare (HCA): A comparison of their operating margin against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Cencora (COR) and HCA Healthcare (HCA)
MetricCORHCA
ROE (TTM)129.01%--
ROA (TTM)3.57%12.23%
Net Margin (TTM)1.03%8.61%
Operating Margin (TTM)1.27%14.83%
Gross Margin (TTM)4.09%42.76%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Only one side can be read here: HCA Healthcare (HCA) reports revenue growth of 7.08%, ranked against its industry; Cencora (COR) has no revenue growth figure this period.

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

EPS Growth

Both companies show strong earnings momentum, but Cencora (COR) at 125.50% is the standout with EPS growth above its industry range; HCA Healthcare (HCA) at 28.77% also sits in the top quartile.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Cencora (COR) and HCA Healthcare (HCA)
MetricCORHCA
Revenue Growth (YoY)--7.08%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)--7.87%
EPS Growth (YoY)125.50%28.77%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)28.15%13.94%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Cencora (COR) at 0.94 and HCA Healthcare (HCA) at 0.82 run current ratio in the tighter-liquidity quartile of industry peers, leaving thinner cushions against current liabilities than typical competitors.

COR

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.94

Max
7.59
Q3
4.00
Median
1.98
Q1
1.37
COR
0.94
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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Cencora (COR) 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: Cencora (COR) carries debt-to-equity ratio of 3.06 against its industry range, while HCA Healthcare (HCA) reports no figure this period.

COR

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

3.06

COR
3.06
Max
1.88
Q3
0.91
Median
0.58
Q1
0.16
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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Cencora (COR) vs. HCA Healthcare (HCA): HCA does not report debt-to-equity ratio, so it has no value marker; COR is benchmarked against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Cencora (COR) and HCA Healthcare (HCA)
MetricCORHCA
Current Ratio (MRQ)0.940.82
Debt / Equity (MRQ)3.06--
Net Debt / EBITDA1.123.26

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Cencora (COR) at 0.71% and HCA Healthcare (HCA) at 0.60% yield above their industries’ entire benchmark ranges — high enough that dividend safety, not income, becomes the first question.

COR

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.71%

COR
0.71%
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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Cencora (COR) vs. HCA Healthcare (HCA): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both Cencora (COR) at 17.45% and HCA Healthcare (HCA) at 10.15% pay out more of their earnings than any of their industry peers — the thinnest cover in their groups, so dividend headroom deserves attention.

COR

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

17.45%

COR
17.45%
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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Cencora (COR) vs. HCA Healthcare (HCA): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Cencora (COR) and HCA Healthcare (HCA)
MetricCORHCA
Dividend Yield (TTM)0.71%0.60%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)17.45%10.15%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Cencora (COR) at 18.58 and HCA Healthcare (HCA) at 16.42 sit in the cheaper earnings-multiple quartile for P/E ratio, with the market paying less for a dollar of trailing earnings than it pays for typical peers.

COR

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

18.58

Max
80.41
Q3
47.62
Median
29.93
Q1
21.19
COR
18.58
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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Cencora (COR) vs. HCA Healthcare (HCA): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Cencora (COR) at 0.19 sits in the cheaper P/S ratio quartile while HCA Healthcare (HCA) at 1.31 prices around its industry’s middle — COR costs less per dollar of sales, though read it alongside growth and margins.

COR

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.19

Max
8.80
Q3
4.32
Median
2.13
Q1
1.10
COR
0.19
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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Cencora (COR) 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 Cencora (COR) reports 17.29, ranking against industry peers normally.

COR

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

17.29

COR
17.29
Max
11.68
Q3
6.12
Median
3.00
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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Cencora (COR) 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 Cencora (COR) and HCA Healthcare (HCA)
MetricCORHCA
P/E Ratio (TTM)18.5816.42
P/S Ratio (TTM)0.191.31
P/B Ratio (MRQ)17.29-12.92
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)2.81%3.81%