HCA vs. PEN: HCA Healthcare vs. Penumbra Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do HCA Healthcare (HCA) and Penumbra (PEN) 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 Penumbra (PEN) both fall under the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group, but HCA is classified in Health Care Providers & Services while PEN is classified in Health Care Equipment & Supplies.

Company profile comparison for HCA Healthcare (HCA) and Penumbra (PEN)
Profile Item	HCA	PEN
Name	HCA Healthcare, Inc.	Penumbra Inc.
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	103.40 billion USD	12.58 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	March 10, 2011	September 18, 2015
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

HCA

PEN

GSPC

HCA Healthcare (HCA) vs. Penumbra (PEN), 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 Penumbra (PEN). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for HCA Healthcare (HCA) and Penumbra (PEN)
Metric	HCA	PEN
Total Return (1Y)	6.56%	20.52%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	31.39%	20.38%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	16.40%	3.15%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

HCA

PEN

GSPC

HCA Healthcare (HCA) vs. Penumbra (PEN), 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 Penumbra (PEN). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for HCA Healthcare (HCA) and Penumbra (PEN)
Metric	HCA	PEN
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	32.89%	19.78%
Beta (5Y)	1.07	0.68
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-39.49%	-59.60%
Avg. Volume (3M)	1.35M	348.64K

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

HCA and PEN 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 Penumbra (PEN)
Metric	HCA	PEN
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.07	0.82
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	0.11	1.56

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Capital efficiency shows on one side only: Penumbra (PEN) earns 10.67% 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: --

PEN

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

10.67%

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

HCA Healthcare (HCA) vs. Penumbra (PEN): HCA does not report ROE, so it has no value marker; PEN is benchmarked against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group.

Net Margin (TTM)

Penumbra (PEN) at 10.06% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of HCA Healthcare (HCA) at 8.61%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

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%

PEN

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

10.06%

Max: 29.35%
PEN: 10.06%
Q3: 9.33%
Median: 2.18%
Q1: -6.29%
Min: -28.46%

HCA Healthcare (HCA) vs. Penumbra (PEN): 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 Penumbra (PEN) at 12.37%, 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%

PEN

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

12.37%

Max: 35.43%
Q3: 14.14%
PEN: 12.37%
Median: 6.81%
Q1: -0.28%
Min: -16.29%

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

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for HCA Healthcare (HCA) and Penumbra (PEN)
Metric	HCA	PEN
ROE (TTM)	--	10.67%
ROA (TTM)	12.23%	6.28%
Net Margin (TTM)	8.61%	10.06%
Operating Margin (TTM)	14.83%	12.37%
Gross Margin (TTM)	42.76%	67.99%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both HCA Healthcare (HCA) at 7.08% and Penumbra (PEN) at 17.50% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

HCA Healthcare (HCA) vs. Penumbra (PEN): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both companies show strong earnings momentum, but Penumbra (PEN) at 1,155.56% is the standout with EPS growth above its industry range; HCA Healthcare (HCA) at 28.77% also sits in the top quartile.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for HCA Healthcare (HCA) and Penumbra (PEN)
Metric	HCA	PEN
Revenue Growth (YoY)	7.08%	17.50%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	7.87%	18.33%
EPS Growth (YoY)	28.77%	1,155.56%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	13.94%	--

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Penumbra (PEN) at 5.89 carries current ratio above its industry’s typical mid-range, while HCA Healthcare (HCA) at 0.82 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — different working-capital profiles, both worth examining.

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

PEN

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

5.89

Max: 7.59
PEN: 5.89
Q3: 4.00
Median: 1.98
Q1: 1.37
Min: 0.30

HCA Healthcare (HCA) vs. Penumbra (PEN): 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: Penumbra (PEN) carries debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13 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: --

PEN

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.13

Max: 1.88
Q3: 0.91
Median: 0.58
Q1: 0.16
PEN: 0.13
Min: 0.00

HCA Healthcare (HCA) vs. Penumbra (PEN): HCA does not report debt-to-equity ratio, so it has no value marker; PEN is benchmarked against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for HCA Healthcare (HCA) and Penumbra (PEN)
Metric	HCA	PEN
Current Ratio (MRQ)	0.82	5.89
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	--	0.13
Net Debt / EBITDA	3.26	-2.22

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Penumbra (PEN) 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.

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%

PEN

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.00%

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

HCA Healthcare (HCA) vs. Penumbra (PEN): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Penumbra (PEN) 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.

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%

PEN

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.00%

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

HCA Healthcare (HCA) vs. Penumbra (PEN): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for HCA Healthcare (HCA) and Penumbra (PEN)
Metric	HCA	PEN
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.60%	0.00%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	10.15%	0.00%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

HCA Healthcare (HCA) at 16.42 sits in the cheaper P/E ratio quartile, while Penumbra (PEN) at 80.41 sits in the richer quartile — a clear split in what investors pay for each dollar of trailing earnings.

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

PEN

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

80.41

PEN: 80.41
Max: 80.41
Q3: 47.62
Median: 29.93
Q1: 21.19
Min: 4.21

HCA Healthcare (HCA) vs. Penumbra (PEN): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

HCA Healthcare (HCA) at 1.31 is priced about in line with its industry on P/S ratio, while Penumbra (PEN) at 8.06 sits in the pricier quartile — PEN costs more per dollar of sales.

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

PEN

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

8.06

Max: 8.80
PEN: 8.06
Q3: 4.32
Median: 2.13
Q1: 1.10
Min: 0.03

HCA Healthcare (HCA) vs. Penumbra (PEN): 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 Penumbra (PEN) reports 7.95, 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

PEN

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

7.95

Max: 11.68
PEN: 7.95
Q3: 6.12
Median: 3.00
Q1: 1.73
Min: -1.31

HCA Healthcare (HCA) vs. Penumbra (PEN): 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 Penumbra (PEN)
Metric	HCA	PEN
P/E Ratio (TTM)	16.42	80.41
P/S Ratio (TTM)	1.31	8.06
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	-12.92	7.95
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	3.81%	1.32%