EW vs. FMS: Edwards Lifesciences vs. Fresenius Medical Care Stock Comparison
How do Edwards Lifesciences (EW) and Fresenius Medical Care (FMS) 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
Edwards Lifesciences (EW) and Fresenius Medical Care (FMS) both fall under the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group, but EW is classified in Health Care Equipment & Supplies while FMS is classified in Health Care Providers & Services.
Edwards Lifesciences (EW) trades as ordinary local shares, while Fresenius Medical Care (FMS) trades as an ADR — compare with FX exposure, depositary-program fees, and dividend-withholding-tax differences in mind.
| Profile Item | EW | FMS |
|---|---|---|
| Name | Edwards Lifesciences Corporation | Fresenius Medical Care AG - Depositary Receipt |
| Country/Region | United States | Germany |
| GICS Sector | Health Care | Health Care |
| GICS Industry Group | Health Care Equipment & Services | Health Care Equipment & Services |
| GICS Industry | Health Care Equipment & Supplies | Health Care Providers & Services |
| GICS Sub-Industry | Health Care Equipment | Health Care Services |
| Market Capitalization | 58.73 billion USD | 12.15 billion USD |
| Currency | USD | USD |
| Exchange | NYSE | NYSE |
| Listing Date | March 27, 2000 | September 17, 1996 |
| Security Type | Common Stock | ADR |
Price Performance
Cumulative Growth
Trailing Returns
Calendar-Year Returns
Performance Metrics
| Metric | EW | FMS |
|---|---|---|
| Total Return (1Y) | 25.08% | -0.71% |
| Total Return (3Y, Annualized) | 17.28% | 13.88% |
| Total Return (5Y, Annualized) | -2.77% | -4.69% |
Risk Profile
Drawdown History
Return Distribution
Risk Metrics
| Metric | EW | FMS |
|---|---|---|
| Volatility (1Y, Annualized) | 25.58% | 30.61% |
| Beta (5Y) | 0.78 | 0.77 |
| Max Drawdown (5Y) | -54.32% | -62.33% |
| Avg. Volume (3M) | 3.69M | 954.21K |
Risk-Adjusted Performance
Risk-Return Positioning
Risk-Adjusted Metrics
| Metric | EW | FMS |
|---|---|---|
| Sharpe Ratio (1Y) | 0.81 | -0.16 |
| Sortino Ratio (1Y) | 1.23 | -0.21 |
Profitability
ROE (TTM)
Both Edwards Lifesciences (EW) at 9.33% and Fresenius Medical Care (FMS) at 7.84% land near their industries’ usual ROE ranges, so capital efficiency looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.
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%
FMS
Health Care Equipment & Services industry group
7.84%
- Max
- 47.61%
- Q3
- 14.36%
- FMS
- 7.84%
- Median
- 5.45%
- Q1
- -10.67%
- Min
- -47.01%
Net Margin (TTM)
Edwards Lifesciences (EW) at 15.30% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of Fresenius Medical Care (FMS) at 4.22%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.
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%
FMS
Health Care Equipment & Services industry group
4.22%
- Max
- 29.35%
- Q3
- 9.33%
- FMS
- 4.22%
- Median
- 2.18%
- Q1
- -6.29%
- Min
- -28.46%
Operating Margin (TTM)
Edwards Lifesciences (EW) at 30.15% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of Fresenius Medical Care (FMS) at 9.63%, which runs around its industry’s norm.
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%
FMS
Health Care Equipment & Services industry group
9.63%
- Max
- 35.43%
- Q3
- 14.14%
- FMS
- 9.63%
- Median
- 6.81%
- Q1
- -0.28%
- Min
- -16.29%
Profitability Metrics
| Metric | EW | FMS |
|---|---|---|
| ROE (TTM) | 9.33% | 7.84% |
| ROA (TTM) | 8.77% | 3.94% |
| Net Margin (TTM) | 15.30% | 4.22% |
| Operating Margin (TTM) | 30.15% | 9.63% |
| Gross Margin (TTM) | 78.02% | 26.46% |
Growth
Revenue Growth
Edwards Lifesciences (EW) at 11.55% is around its peer norm for revenue growth, while Fresenius Medical Care (FMS) at 1.51% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker demand or pricing momentum.
EPS Growth
Fresenius Medical Care (FMS) at 83.61% sits in the top EPS growth quartile, while Edwards Lifesciences (EW) at -73.74% is in the bottom quartile, showing a clear gap in earnings momentum.
Growth Metrics
| Metric | EW | FMS |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue Growth (YoY) | 11.55% | 1.51% |
| Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR) | 10.77% | 0.39% |
| EPS Growth (YoY) | -73.74% | 83.61% |
| EPS Growth (3Y CAGR) | -9.14% | 13.47% |
Financial Strength
Current Ratio (MRQ)
Edwards Lifesciences (EW) at 4.60 carries current ratio above its industry’s typical mid-range, while Fresenius Medical Care (FMS) at 0.99 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — different working-capital profiles, both worth examining.
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
FMS
Health Care Equipment & Services industry group
0.99
- Max
- 7.59
- Q3
- 4.00
- Median
- 1.98
- Q1
- 1.37
- FMS
- 0.99
- Min
- 0.30
Debt / Equity (MRQ)
Edwards Lifesciences (EW) at 0.06 keeps leverage in the lower industry quartile, while Fresenius Medical Care (FMS) at 0.79 runs a more typical debt-to-equity mix.
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
FMS
Health Care Equipment & Services industry group
0.79
- Max
- 1.88
- Q3
- 0.91
- FMS
- 0.79
- Median
- 0.58
- Q1
- 0.16
- Min
- 0.00
Financial Strength Metrics
| Metric | EW | FMS |
|---|---|---|
| Current Ratio (MRQ) | 4.60 | 0.99 |
| Debt / Equity (MRQ) | 0.06 | 0.79 |
| Net Debt / EBITDA | -1.88 | 3.63 |
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 Fresenius Medical Care (FMS) reports a yield of 6.30%, ranking against industry peers normally.
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%
FMS
Health Care Equipment & Services industry group
6.30%
- FMS
- 6.30%
- Max
- 0.00%
- Q3
- 0.00%
- Median
- 0.00%
- Q1
- 0.00%
- Min
- 0.00%
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 Fresenius Medical Care (FMS) reports a payout of 50.14%, ranking against industry peers normally.
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%
FMS
Health Care Equipment & Services industry group
50.14%
- FMS
- 50.14%
- Max
- 0.00%
- Q3
- 0.00%
- Median
- 0.00%
- Q1
- 0.00%
- Min
- 0.00%
Dividend Metrics
| Metric | EW | FMS |
|---|---|---|
| Dividend Yield (TTM) | 0.00% | 6.30% |
| Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM) | 0.00% | 50.14% |
Valuation
P/E Ratio (TTM)
Fresenius Medical Care (FMS) at 13.53 sits in the cheaper P/E ratio quartile, while Edwards Lifesciences (EW) at 59.38 sits in the richer quartile — a clear split in what investors pay for each dollar of trailing earnings.
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
FMS
Health Care Equipment & Services industry group
13.53
- Max
- 80.41
- Q3
- 47.62
- Median
- 29.93
- Q1
- 21.19
- FMS
- 13.53
- Min
- 4.21
P/S Ratio (TTM)
Fresenius Medical Care (FMS) at 0.62 looks cheap on sales in the lower P/S ratio quartile, while Edwards Lifesciences (EW) at 8.80 looks rich in the upper quartile — a clear gap in price per dollar of revenue.
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
FMS
Health Care Equipment & Services industry group
0.62
- Max
- 8.80
- Q3
- 4.32
- Median
- 2.13
- Q1
- 1.10
- FMS
- 0.62
- Min
- 0.03
P/B Ratio (MRQ)
Fresenius Medical Care (FMS) at 0.85 sits in the lower P/B ratio quartile against book while Edwards Lifesciences (EW) at 5.41 is valued near its industry’s middle — FMS is cheaper on assets, though weigh it against ROE and asset quality.
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
FMS
Health Care Equipment & Services industry group
0.85
- Max
- 11.68
- Q3
- 6.12
- Median
- 3.00
- Q1
- 1.73
- FMS
- 0.85
- Min
- -1.31
Valuation Metrics
| Metric | EW | FMS |
|---|---|---|
| P/E Ratio (TTM) | 59.38 | 13.53 |
| P/S Ratio (TTM) | 8.80 | 0.62 |
| P/B Ratio (MRQ) | 5.41 | 0.85 |
| Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM) | 1.95% | 12.29% |