EHC vs. EW: Encompass Health vs. Edwards Lifesciences Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Encompass Health (EHC) and Edwards Lifesciences (EW) 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

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

Company profile comparison for Encompass Health (EHC) and Edwards Lifesciences (EW)
Profile Item	EHC	EW
Name	Encompass Health Corporation	Edwards Lifesciences Corporation
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Health Care	Health Care
GICS Industry Group	Health Care Equipment & Services	Health Care Equipment & Services
GICS Industry	Health Care Providers & Services	Health Care Equipment & Supplies
GICS Sub-Industry	Health Care Facilities	Health Care Equipment
Market Capitalization	13.50 billion USD	58.73 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	September 24, 1986	March 27, 2000
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

EHC

GSPC

Encompass Health (EHC) vs. Edwards Lifesciences (EW), 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 Encompass Health (EHC) and Edwards Lifesciences (EW). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Encompass Health (EHC) and Edwards Lifesciences (EW)
Metric	EHC	EW
Total Return (1Y)	22.16%	25.08%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	30.96%	17.28%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	23.55%	-2.77%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

EHC

GSPC

Encompass Health (EHC) vs. Edwards Lifesciences (EW), 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 Encompass Health (EHC) and Edwards Lifesciences (EW). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Encompass Health (EHC) and Edwards Lifesciences (EW)
Metric	EHC	EW
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	30.54%	25.58%
Beta (5Y)	0.82	0.78
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-27.33%	-54.32%
Avg. Volume (3M)	996.79K	3.69M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

EHC and EW 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 Encompass Health (EHC) and Edwards Lifesciences (EW)
Metric	EHC	EW
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.59	0.81
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	1.08	1.23

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Encompass Health (EHC) at 25.11% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Edwards Lifesciences (EW) at 9.33% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for EHC.

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%

EW

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

9.33%

Max: 47.61%
Q3: 14.36%
EW: 9.33%
Median: 5.45%
Q1: -10.67%
Min: -47.01%

Encompass Health (EHC) vs. Edwards Lifesciences (EW): A comparison of their ROE against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

For every dollar of sales, both Encompass Health (EHC) at 10.17% and Edwards Lifesciences (EW) at 15.30% retain more as net profit than most peers, landing in the top net margin quartile of their industries.

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%

EW

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

15.30%

Max: 29.35%
EW: 15.30%
Q3: 9.33%
Median: 2.18%
Q1: -6.29%
Min: -28.46%

Encompass Health (EHC) vs. Edwards Lifesciences (EW): A comparison of their net margin against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Encompass Health (EHC) at 18.07% and Edwards Lifesciences (EW) at 30.15% convert sales into operating profit at a top-quartile rate, pointing to tighter cost discipline before financing and tax.

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%

EW

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

30.15%

Max: 35.43%
EW: 30.15%
Q3: 14.14%
Median: 6.81%
Q1: -0.28%
Min: -16.29%

Encompass Health (EHC) vs. Edwards Lifesciences (EW): A comparison of their operating margin against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Encompass Health (EHC) and Edwards Lifesciences (EW)
Metric	EHC	EW
ROE (TTM)	25.11%	9.33%
ROA (TTM)	10.08%	8.77%
Net Margin (TTM)	10.17%	15.30%
Operating Margin (TTM)	18.07%	30.15%
Gross Margin (TTM)	44.15%	78.02%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Encompass Health (EHC) at 10.46% and Edwards Lifesciences (EW) at 11.55% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Encompass Health (EHC) vs. Edwards Lifesciences (EW): 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 Edwards Lifesciences (EW) at -73.74% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker earnings momentum.

Encompass Health (EHC) vs. Edwards Lifesciences (EW): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Encompass Health (EHC) and Edwards Lifesciences (EW)
Metric	EHC	EW
Revenue Growth (YoY)	10.46%	11.55%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	10.92%	10.77%
EPS Growth (YoY)	24.22%	-73.74%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	27.07%	-9.14%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Edwards Lifesciences (EW) at 4.60 carries current ratio above its industry’s typical mid-range, while Encompass Health (EHC) at 1.09 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — different working-capital profiles, both worth examining.

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

EW

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

4.60

Max: 7.59
EW: 4.60
Q3: 4.00
Median: 1.98
Q1: 1.37
Min: 0.30

Encompass Health (EHC) vs. Edwards Lifesciences (EW): A comparison of their current ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Edwards Lifesciences (EW) at 0.06 keeps leverage in the lower industry quartile, while Encompass Health (EHC) at 0.79 runs a more typical debt-to-equity mix.

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

EW

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.06

Max: 1.88
Q3: 0.91
Median: 0.58
Q1: 0.16
EW: 0.06
Min: 0.00

Encompass Health (EHC) vs. Edwards Lifesciences (EW): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Encompass Health (EHC) and Edwards Lifesciences (EW)
Metric	EHC	EW
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.09	4.60
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.79	0.06
Net Debt / EBITDA	1.79	-1.88

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Edwards Lifesciences (EW) pays no dividend (yield 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Encompass Health (EHC) reports a yield of 0.55%, ranking against industry peers normally.

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%

EW

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.00%

EW: 0.00%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Encompass Health (EHC) vs. Edwards Lifesciences (EW): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Edwards Lifesciences (EW) pays no dividend (payout 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Encompass Health (EHC) reports a payout of 12.48%, ranking against industry peers normally.

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%

EW

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.00%

EW: 0.00%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Encompass Health (EHC) vs. Edwards Lifesciences (EW): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Encompass Health (EHC) and Edwards Lifesciences (EW)
Metric	EHC	EW
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.55%	0.00%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	12.48%	0.00%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Encompass Health (EHC) at 22.01 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while Edwards Lifesciences (EW) at 59.38 sits in the richer quartile — EW needs stronger growth or earnings quality to justify the premium.

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

EW

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

59.38

Max: 80.41
EW: 59.38
Q3: 47.62
Median: 29.93
Q1: 21.19
Min: 4.21

Encompass Health (EHC) vs. Edwards Lifesciences (EW): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Encompass Health (EHC) at 2.13 is priced about in line with its industry on P/S ratio, while Edwards Lifesciences (EW) at 8.80 sits in the pricier quartile — EW costs more per dollar of sales.

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

EW

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

8.80

EW: 8.80
Max: 8.80
Q3: 4.32
Median: 2.13
Q1: 1.10
Min: 0.03

Encompass Health (EHC) vs. Edwards Lifesciences (EW): 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 Encompass Health (EHC) at 5.04 and Edwards Lifesciences (EW) at 5.41 are valued close to their industries’ norm against book — neither stands out from peers.

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

EW

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

5.41

Max: 11.68
Q3: 6.12
EW: 5.41
Median: 3.00
Q1: 1.73
Min: -1.31

Encompass Health (EHC) vs. Edwards Lifesciences (EW): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Encompass Health (EHC) and Edwards Lifesciences (EW)
Metric	EHC	EW
P/E Ratio (TTM)	22.01	59.38
P/S Ratio (TTM)	2.13	8.80
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	5.04	5.41
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	1.97%	1.95%