HCA vs. UHS: HCA Healthcare vs. Universal Health Services Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do HCA Healthcare (HCA) and Universal Health Services (UHS) 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 Universal Health Services (UHS) are both classified in the Health Care Facilities sub-industry within the broader Health Care Providers & Services industry, placing them in the closest GICS peer bucket.

Company profile comparison for HCA Healthcare (HCA) and Universal Health Services (UHS)
Profile Item	HCA	UHS
Name	HCA Healthcare, Inc.	Universal Health Services Inc. Class B Common Stock
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 Providers & Services
GICS Sub-Industry	Health Care Facilities	Health Care Facilities
Market Capitalization	103.40 billion USD	11.52 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	March 10, 2011	July 9, 1981
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

HCA

UHS

GSPC

HCA Healthcare (HCA) vs. Universal Health Services (UHS), 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 HCA Healthcare (HCA) and Universal Health Services (UHS). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

Loading price history…

Calendar-year total returns for HCA Healthcare (HCA) and Universal Health Services (UHS). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for HCA Healthcare (HCA) and Universal Health Services (UHS)
Metric	HCA	UHS
Total Return (1Y)	6.56%	-12.89%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	31.39%	16.25%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	16.40%	9.70%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

HCA

UHS

GSPC

HCA Healthcare (HCA) vs. Universal Health Services (UHS), 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 HCA Healthcare (HCA) and Universal Health Services (UHS). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for HCA Healthcare (HCA) and Universal Health Services (UHS)
Metric	HCA	UHS
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	32.89%	34.26%
Beta (5Y)	1.07	1.06
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-39.49%	-43.34%
Avg. Volume (3M)	1.35M	707.83K

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

HCA and UHS 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 Universal Health Services (UHS)
Metric	HCA	UHS
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.07	-0.50
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	0.11	-0.70

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Capital efficiency shows on one side only: Universal Health Services (UHS) earns 19.74% 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: --

UHS

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

19.74%

Max: 47.61%
UHS: 19.74%
Q3: 14.36%
Median: 5.45%
Q1: -10.67%
Min: -47.01%

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

Net Margin (TTM)

Both HCA Healthcare (HCA) at 8.61% and Universal Health Services (UHS) at 7.97% 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%

UHS

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

7.97%

Max: 29.35%
Q3: 9.33%
UHS: 7.97%
Median: 2.18%
Q1: -6.29%
Min: -28.46%

HCA Healthcare (HCA) vs. Universal Health Services (UHS): 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 Universal Health Services (UHS) at 9.60%, 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%

UHS

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

9.60%

Max: 35.43%
Q3: 14.14%
UHS: 9.60%
Median: 6.81%
Q1: -0.28%
Min: -16.29%

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

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for HCA Healthcare (HCA) and Universal Health Services (UHS)
Metric	HCA	UHS
ROE (TTM)	--	19.74%
ROA (TTM)	12.23%	7.65%
Net Margin (TTM)	8.61%	7.97%
Operating Margin (TTM)	14.83%	9.60%
Gross Margin (TTM)	42.76%	44.51%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both HCA Healthcare (HCA) at 7.08% and Universal Health Services (UHS) at 9.71% 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. Universal Health Services (UHS): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both HCA Healthcare (HCA) at 28.77% and Universal Health Services (UHS) at 37.34% sit in the top peer quartile for EPS growth, so each is compounding per-share earnings faster than typical industry peers.

HCA Healthcare (HCA) vs. Universal Health Services (UHS): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for HCA Healthcare (HCA) and Universal Health Services (UHS)
Metric	HCA	UHS
Revenue Growth (YoY)	7.08%	9.71%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	7.87%	9.03%
EPS Growth (YoY)	28.77%	37.34%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	13.94%	36.21%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Universal Health Services (UHS) at 1.37 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

UHS

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

1.37

Max: 7.59
Q3: 4.00
Median: 1.98
UHS: 1.37
Q1: 1.37
Min: 0.30

HCA Healthcare (HCA) vs. Universal Health Services (UHS): 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: Universal Health Services (UHS) carries debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80 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: --

UHS

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.80

Max: 1.88
Q3: 0.91
UHS: 0.80
Median: 0.58
Q1: 0.16
Min: 0.00

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

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for HCA Healthcare (HCA) and Universal Health Services (UHS)
Metric	HCA	UHS
Current Ratio (MRQ)	0.82	1.37
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	--	0.80
Net Debt / EBITDA	3.26	2.27

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both HCA Healthcare (HCA) at 0.60% and Universal Health Services (UHS) at 0.10% 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%

UHS

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.10%

UHS: 0.10%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

HCA Healthcare (HCA) vs. Universal Health Services (UHS): 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 Universal Health Services (UHS) at 3.35% 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%

UHS

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

3.35%

UHS: 3.35%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

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

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for HCA Healthcare (HCA) and Universal Health Services (UHS)
Metric	HCA	UHS
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.60%	0.10%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	10.15%	3.35%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both HCA Healthcare (HCA) at 16.42 and Universal Health Services (UHS) at 8.18 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.

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

UHS

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

8.18

Max: 80.41
Q3: 47.62
Median: 29.93
Q1: 21.19
UHS: 8.18
Min: 4.21

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

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Universal Health Services (UHS) at 0.63 sits in the cheaper P/S ratio quartile while HCA Healthcare (HCA) at 1.31 prices around its industry’s middle — UHS costs less per dollar of sales, though read it alongside growth and margins.

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

UHS

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.63

Max: 8.80
Q3: 4.32
Median: 2.13
Q1: 1.10
UHS: 0.63
Min: 0.03

HCA Healthcare (HCA) vs. Universal Health Services (UHS): 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 Universal Health Services (UHS) reports 1.51, 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

UHS

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

1.51

Max: 11.68
Q3: 6.12
Median: 3.00
Q1: 1.73
UHS: 1.51
Min: -1.31

HCA Healthcare (HCA) vs. Universal Health Services (UHS): 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 Universal Health Services (UHS)
Metric	HCA	UHS
P/E Ratio (TTM)	16.42	8.18
P/S Ratio (TTM)	1.31	0.63
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	-12.92	1.51
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	3.81%	6.47%