Seek Returns

ELV vs. HCA: Elevance Health vs. HCA Healthcare Stock Comparison

How do Elevance Health (ELV) 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

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

Company profile comparison for Elevance Health (ELV) and HCA Healthcare (HCA)
Profile ItemELVHCA
NameElevance Health, 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-IndustryManaged Health CareHealth Care Facilities
Market Capitalization91.96 billion USD103.40 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENYSE
Listing DateOctober 30, 2001March 10, 2011
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

ELV
HCA
GSPC
Loading price history…
Elevance Health (ELV) 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

Loading price history…
Trailing total returns for Elevance Health (ELV) and HCA Healthcare (HCA). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

Loading price history…
Calendar-year total returns for Elevance Health (ELV) and HCA Healthcare (HCA). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Elevance Health (ELV) and HCA Healthcare (HCA)
MetricELVHCA
Total Return (1Y)35.51%6.56%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)-0.68%31.39%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)1.10%16.40%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

ELV
HCA
GSPC
Loading price history…
Elevance Health (ELV) 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

Loading price history…
Distribution of monthly total returns for Elevance Health (ELV) and HCA Healthcare (HCA). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Elevance Health (ELV) and HCA Healthcare (HCA)
MetricELVHCA
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)35.05%32.89%
Beta (5Y)0.611.07
Max Drawdown (5Y)-50.38%-39.49%
Avg. Volume (3M)1.19M1.35M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

Loading chart…
ELV 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 Elevance Health (ELV) and HCA Healthcare (HCA)
MetricELVHCA
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)0.890.07
Sortino Ratio (1Y)1.250.11

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Capital efficiency shows on one side only: Elevance Health (ELV) earns 11.48% on shareholders’ equity, ranked against its industry; HCA Healthcare (HCA) has no ROE this period.

ELV

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

11.48%

Max
47.61%
Q3
14.36%
ELV
11.48%
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
--
Loading chart…
Elevance Health (ELV) vs. HCA Healthcare (HCA): HCA does not report ROE, so it has no value marker; ELV is benchmarked against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group.

Net Margin (TTM)

Both Elevance Health (ELV) at 2.55% 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.

ELV

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

2.55%

Max
29.35%
Q3
9.33%
ELV
2.55%
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%
Loading chart…
Elevance Health (ELV) 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 Elevance Health (ELV) at 4.22%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

ELV

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

4.22%

Max
35.43%
Q3
14.14%
Median
6.81%
ELV
4.22%
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%
Loading chart…
Elevance Health (ELV) vs. HCA Healthcare (HCA): A comparison of their operating margin against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Elevance Health (ELV) and HCA Healthcare (HCA)
MetricELVHCA
ROE (TTM)11.48%--
ROA (TTM)4.01%12.23%
Net Margin (TTM)2.55%8.61%
Operating Margin (TTM)4.22%14.83%
Gross Margin (TTM)26.43%42.76%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Elevance Health (ELV) at 12.62% and HCA Healthcare (HCA) at 7.08% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Loading chart…
Elevance Health (ELV) 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 Elevance Health (ELV) at -1.83% is closer to the peer norm — faster per-share earnings growth for HCA.

Loading chart…
Elevance Health (ELV) vs. HCA Healthcare (HCA): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Elevance Health (ELV) and HCA Healthcare (HCA)
MetricELVHCA
Revenue Growth (YoY)12.62%7.08%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)8.34%7.87%
EPS Growth (YoY)-1.83%28.77%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)0.53%13.94%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Elevance Health (ELV) at 1.47 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.

ELV

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

1.47

Max
7.59
Q3
4.00
Median
1.98
ELV
1.47
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
Loading chart…
Elevance Health (ELV) 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: Elevance Health (ELV) carries debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69 against its industry range, while HCA Healthcare (HCA) reports no figure this period.

ELV

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.69

Max
1.88
Q3
0.91
ELV
0.69
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
--
Loading chart…
Elevance Health (ELV) vs. HCA Healthcare (HCA): HCA does not report debt-to-equity ratio, so it has no value marker; ELV is benchmarked against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Elevance Health (ELV) and HCA Healthcare (HCA)
MetricELVHCA
Current Ratio (MRQ)1.470.82
Debt / Equity (MRQ)0.69--
Net Debt / EBITDA-0.813.26

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Elevance Health (ELV) at 1.59% 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.

ELV

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

1.59%

ELV
1.59%
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%
Loading chart…
Elevance Health (ELV) vs. HCA Healthcare (HCA): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both Elevance Health (ELV) at 29.17% 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.

ELV

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

29.17%

ELV
29.17%
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%
Loading chart…
Elevance Health (ELV) vs. HCA Healthcare (HCA): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Elevance Health (ELV) and HCA Healthcare (HCA)
MetricELVHCA
Dividend Yield (TTM)1.59%0.60%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)29.17%10.15%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Elevance Health (ELV) at 18.07 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.

ELV

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

18.07

Max
80.41
Q3
47.62
Median
29.93
Q1
21.19
ELV
18.07
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
Loading chart…
Elevance Health (ELV) vs. HCA Healthcare (HCA): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Elevance Health (ELV) at 0.46 sits in the cheaper P/S ratio quartile while HCA Healthcare (HCA) at 1.31 prices around its industry’s middle — ELV costs less per dollar of sales, though read it alongside growth and margins.

ELV

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.46

Max
8.80
Q3
4.32
Median
2.13
Q1
1.10
ELV
0.46
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
Loading chart…
Elevance Health (ELV) 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 Elevance Health (ELV) reports 2.06, ranking against industry peers normally.

ELV

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

2.06

Max
11.68
Q3
6.12
Median
3.00
ELV
2.06
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
Loading chart…
Elevance Health (ELV) 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 Elevance Health (ELV) and HCA Healthcare (HCA)
MetricELVHCA
P/E Ratio (TTM)18.0716.42
P/S Ratio (TTM)0.461.31
P/B Ratio (MRQ)2.06-12.92
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)8.69%3.81%