Seek Returns

GH vs. HCA: Guardant Health vs. HCA Healthcare Stock Comparison

How do Guardant Health (GH) 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

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

Company profile comparison for Guardant Health (GH) and HCA Healthcare (HCA)
Profile ItemGHHCA
NameGuardant 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-IndustryHealth Care ServicesHealth Care Facilities
Market Capitalization20.41 billion USD103.40 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNasdaqNYSE
Listing DateOctober 4, 2018March 10, 2011
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

GH
HCA
GSPC
Loading price history…
Guardant Health (GH) 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 Guardant Health (GH) and HCA Healthcare (HCA). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Guardant Health (GH) and HCA Healthcare (HCA)
MetricGHHCA
Total Return (1Y)66.53%6.56%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)92.76%31.39%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)8.36%16.40%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

GH
HCA
GSPC
Loading price history…
Guardant Health (GH) 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 Guardant Health (GH) and HCA Healthcare (HCA). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Guardant Health (GH) and HCA Healthcare (HCA)
MetricGHHCA
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)53.23%32.89%
Beta (5Y)1.691.07
Max Drawdown (5Y)-85.09%-39.49%
Avg. Volume (3M)1.97M1.35M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

Loading chart…
GH 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 Guardant Health (GH) and HCA Healthcare (HCA)
MetricGHHCA
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)1.170.07
Sortino Ratio (1Y)1.840.11

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Neither Guardant Health (GH) nor HCA Healthcare (HCA) reports a ROE value for this period, so a direct comparison isn’t possible.

GH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

--

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

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…
Guardant Health (GH) vs. HCA Healthcare (HCA): Neither stock reports ROE, so the chart shows available benchmark boxes without value markers.

Net Margin (TTM)

Guardant Health (GH) reports a negative net margin of -37.93%, usually indicating a net loss over the period. Meanwhile HCA Healthcare (HCA) reports 8.61%, ranking against industry peers normally.

GH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

-37.93%

Max
29.35%
Q3
9.33%
Median
2.18%
Q1
-6.29%
Min
-28.46%
GH
-37.93%

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…
Guardant Health (GH) vs. HCA Healthcare (HCA): A comparison of their net margin against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Guardant Health (GH) reports a negative operating margin of -37.06%, usually indicating that operating costs exceeded revenue at the operating-income line. Meanwhile HCA Healthcare (HCA) reports 14.83%, ranking against industry peers normally.

GH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

-37.06%

Max
35.43%
Q3
14.14%
Median
6.81%
Q1
-0.28%
Min
-16.29%
GH
-37.06%

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…
Guardant Health (GH) vs. HCA Healthcare (HCA): A comparison of their operating margin against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Guardant Health (GH) and HCA Healthcare (HCA)
MetricGHHCA
ROE (TTM)----
ROA (TTM)-19.92%12.23%
Net Margin (TTM)-37.93%8.61%
Operating Margin (TTM)-37.06%14.83%
Gross Margin (TTM)65.19%42.76%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Guardant Health (GH) at 32.88% sits in the top revenue growth quartile, while HCA Healthcare (HCA) at 7.08% is closer to the peer norm — faster top-line expansion for GH.

Loading chart…
Guardant Health (GH) vs. HCA Healthcare (HCA): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Only one side can be read here: HCA Healthcare (HCA) reports EPS growth of 28.77%, ranked against its industry; Guardant Health (GH) has no EPS growth figure this period.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Guardant Health (GH) and HCA Healthcare (HCA)
MetricGHHCA
Revenue Growth (YoY)32.88%7.08%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)29.75%7.87%
EPS Growth (YoY)--28.77%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)--13.94%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Guardant Health (GH) at 3.60 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.

GH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

3.60

Max
7.59
Q3
4.00
GH
3.60
Median
1.98
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…
Guardant Health (GH) vs. HCA Healthcare (HCA): A comparison of their current ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Neither Guardant Health (GH) nor HCA Healthcare (HCA) reports a debt-to-equity ratio value for this period, so a direct comparison isn’t possible.

GH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

--

Max
1.88
Q3
0.91
Median
0.58
Q1
0.16
Min
0.00
GH
--

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…
Guardant Health (GH) vs. HCA Healthcare (HCA): Neither stock reports debt-to-equity ratio, so the chart shows available benchmark boxes without value markers.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Guardant Health (GH) and HCA Healthcare (HCA)
MetricGHHCA
Current Ratio (MRQ)3.600.82
Debt / Equity (MRQ)----
Net Debt / EBITDA--3.26

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Guardant Health (GH) 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.

GH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.00%

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

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Guardant Health (GH) 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.

GH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.00%

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

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Guardant Health (GH) and HCA Healthcare (HCA)
MetricGHHCA
Dividend Yield (TTM)0.00%0.60%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)0.00%10.15%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

An earnings multiple is available for just one side: HCA Healthcare (HCA) trades at 16.42 times trailing earnings, ranked against its peers, while Guardant Health (GH) has no P/E ratio this period.

GH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

--

Max
80.41
Q3
47.62
Median
29.93
Q1
21.19
Min
4.21
GH
--

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…
Guardant Health (GH) vs. HCA Healthcare (HCA): GH does not report P/E ratio, so it has no value marker; HCA is benchmarked against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

HCA Healthcare (HCA) at 1.31 prices around its industry’s typical P/S ratio, while Guardant Health (GH) at 15.96 clears its benchmark range — GH looks notably rich on sales.

GH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

15.96

GH
15.96
Max
8.80
Q3
4.32
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
Loading chart…
Guardant Health (GH) vs. HCA Healthcare (HCA): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Both Guardant Health (GH) at -73.67 and HCA Healthcare (HCA) at -12.92 report negative P/B ratio values, meaning both companies have negative book equity — neither multiple is meaningful for valuation.

GH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

-73.67

Max
11.68
Q3
6.12
Median
3.00
Q1
1.73
Min
-1.31
GH
-73.67

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…
Guardant Health (GH) 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 Guardant Health (GH) and HCA Healthcare (HCA)
MetricGHHCA
P/E Ratio (TTM)--16.42
P/S Ratio (TTM)15.961.31
P/B Ratio (MRQ)-73.67-12.92
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)-0.30%3.81%