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HCA vs. LH: HCA Healthcare vs. Labcorp Stock Comparison

How do HCA Healthcare (HCA) and Labcorp (LH) 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

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

Company profile comparison for HCA Healthcare (HCA) and Labcorp (LH)
Profile ItemHCALH
NameHCA Healthcare, Inc.Labcorp Holdings 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 FacilitiesHealth Care Services
Market Capitalization103.40 billion USD29.77 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENYSE
Listing DateMarch 10, 2011March 29, 1990
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

HCA
LH
GSPC
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HCA Healthcare (HCA) vs. Labcorp (LH), 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 HCA Healthcare (HCA) and Labcorp (LH). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for HCA Healthcare (HCA) and Labcorp (LH)
MetricHCALH
Total Return (1Y)6.56%48.62%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)31.39%23.39%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)16.40%10.54%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

HCA
LH
GSPC
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HCA Healthcare (HCA) vs. Labcorp (LH), 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 HCA Healthcare (HCA) and Labcorp (LH). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for HCA Healthcare (HCA) and Labcorp (LH)
MetricHCALH
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)32.89%24.36%
Beta (5Y)1.070.85
Max Drawdown (5Y)-39.49%-34.61%
Avg. Volume (3M)1.35M721.05K

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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HCA and LH 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 HCA Healthcare (HCA) and Labcorp (LH)
MetricHCALH
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)0.071.82
Sortino Ratio (1Y)0.112.99

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Capital efficiency shows on one side only: Labcorp (LH) earns 11.44% on shareholders’ equity, ranked against its industry; HCA Healthcare (HCA) has no ROE this period.

HCA

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

--

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

LH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

11.44%

Max
47.61%
Q3
14.36%
LH
11.44%
Median
5.45%
Q1
-10.67%
Min
-47.01%
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HCA Healthcare (HCA) vs. Labcorp (LH): HCA does not report ROE, so it has no value marker; LH is benchmarked against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group.

Net Margin (TTM)

Both HCA Healthcare (HCA) at 8.61% and Labcorp (LH) at 6.88% keep about the typical share of revenue as profit for their industries — neither bottom line stands out from peers.

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%

LH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

6.88%

Max
29.35%
Q3
9.33%
LH
6.88%
Median
2.18%
Q1
-6.29%
Min
-28.46%
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HCA Healthcare (HCA) vs. Labcorp (LH): 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 Labcorp (LH) at 10.91%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

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%

LH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

10.91%

Max
35.43%
Q3
14.14%
LH
10.91%
Median
6.81%
Q1
-0.28%
Min
-16.29%
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HCA Healthcare (HCA) vs. Labcorp (LH): A comparison of their operating margin against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for HCA Healthcare (HCA) and Labcorp (LH)
MetricHCALH
ROE (TTM)--11.44%
ROA (TTM)12.23%5.48%
Net Margin (TTM)8.61%6.88%
Operating Margin (TTM)14.83%10.91%
Gross Margin (TTM)42.76%28.96%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both HCA Healthcare (HCA) at 7.08% and Labcorp (LH) at 7.25% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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HCA Healthcare (HCA) vs. Labcorp (LH): 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 Labcorp (LH) at 18.33% is closer to the peer norm — faster per-share earnings growth for HCA.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for HCA Healthcare (HCA) and Labcorp (LH)
MetricHCALH
Revenue Growth (YoY)7.08%7.25%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)7.87%5.55%
EPS Growth (YoY)28.77%18.33%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)13.94%-9.19%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Labcorp (LH) at 1.41 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.

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

LH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

1.41

Max
7.59
Q3
4.00
Median
1.98
LH
1.41
Q1
1.37
Min
0.30
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HCA Healthcare (HCA) vs. Labcorp (LH): 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: Labcorp (LH) carries debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77 against its industry range, while HCA Healthcare (HCA) reports no figure this period.

HCA

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

--

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

LH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.77

Max
1.88
Q3
0.91
LH
0.77
Median
0.58
Q1
0.16
Min
0.00
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HCA Healthcare (HCA) vs. Labcorp (LH): HCA does not report debt-to-equity ratio, so it has no value marker; LH is benchmarked against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for HCA Healthcare (HCA) and Labcorp (LH)
MetricHCALH
Current Ratio (MRQ)0.821.41
Debt / Equity (MRQ)--0.77
Net Debt / EBITDA3.262.81

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both HCA Healthcare (HCA) at 0.60% and Labcorp (LH) at 0.79% yield above their industries’ entire benchmark ranges — high enough that dividend safety, not income, becomes the first question.

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%

LH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.79%

LH
0.79%
Max
0.00%
Q3
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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HCA Healthcare (HCA) vs. Labcorp (LH): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both HCA Healthcare (HCA) at 10.15% and Labcorp (LH) at 23.61% pay out more of their earnings than any of their industry peers — the thinnest cover in their groups, so dividend headroom deserves attention.

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%

LH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

23.61%

LH
23.61%
Max
0.00%
Q3
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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HCA Healthcare (HCA) vs. Labcorp (LH): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for HCA Healthcare (HCA) and Labcorp (LH)
MetricHCALH
Dividend Yield (TTM)0.60%0.79%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)10.15%23.61%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

HCA Healthcare (HCA) at 16.42 sits in the cheaper P/E ratio quartile, while Labcorp (LH) at 30.05 is closer to its industry’s usual earnings multiple — a discount for HCA, though growth and earnings durability still matter.

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

LH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

30.05

Max
80.41
Q3
47.62
LH
30.05
Median
29.93
Q1
21.19
Min
4.21
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HCA Healthcare (HCA) vs. Labcorp (LH): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

On P/S ratio, both HCA Healthcare (HCA) at 1.31 and Labcorp (LH) at 2.04 are priced roughly in line with their industries — neither looks cheap nor rich on a sales basis.

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

LH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

2.04

Max
8.80
Q3
4.32
Median
2.13
LH
2.04
Q1
1.10
Min
0.03
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HCA Healthcare (HCA) vs. Labcorp (LH): 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 Labcorp (LH) reports 3.36, ranking against industry peers normally.

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

LH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

3.36

Max
11.68
Q3
6.12
LH
3.36
Median
3.00
Q1
1.73
Min
-1.31
Loading chart…
HCA Healthcare (HCA) vs. Labcorp (LH): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for HCA Healthcare (HCA) and Labcorp (LH)
MetricHCALH
P/E Ratio (TTM)16.4230.05
P/S Ratio (TTM)1.312.04
P/B Ratio (MRQ)-12.923.36
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)3.81%3.55%