Is HCA or VRTX cheaper?

On trailing earnings, HCA is cheaper: HCA trades at a 13.65 P/E and VRTX at 26.72.

Which has grown faster, HCA or VRTX?

Over the past five years, VRTX grew revenue faster — HCA at a 7.73% CAGR versus VRTX at 13.82%.

Does HCA or VRTX pay a bigger dividend?

HCA pays a dividend (0.76% yield) while VRTX does not currently pay one.

Is HCA or VRTX more profitable?

VRTX runs the higher net margin — HCA at 8.89% versus VRTX at 35.40%.

Which has been the better investment, HCA or VRTX?

Over the past 10-year, HCA delivered the higher annualized total return — HCA at 18.63% versus VRTX at 17.33%. Past performance doesn't predict future results.

HCA Healthcare, Inc. (HCA) vs Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (VRTX)

HCA leads on 8 of 15 compared metrics.

A side-by-side comparison of HCA Healthcare, Inc. and Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated across valuation, profitability, dividends, and growth — built entirely from reported fundamentals, as of June 16, 2026. The ● marks the stronger figure on each row (cheaper multiple, higher margin/return).

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated

$113.82B

$450.46Healthcare

Total return — HCA vs VRTX

growth of $100 · last 15y

HCA +1179.6%VRTX +897.8%HCA compounded faster

HCA VRTX

HCA vs VRTX: by the numbers

•VRTX is the larger company ($113.82B vs $88.05B market cap).
•HCA trades at the lower earnings multiple (13.65 vs 26.72 P/E).
•VRTX converts more revenue to profit (35.40% vs 8.89% net margin).
•VRTX grew revenue faster over the past five years (13.82% vs 7.73% CAGR).
•HCA pays a dividend (0.76% yield) while VRTX does not currently pay one.

Which is better, HCA or VRTX?

Metric tally: HCA 8 · VRTX 7

It depends on what you're optimizing for:

ValueHCA(lower P/E)

GrowthVRTX(faster 5Y revenue CAGR)

QualityHCA(higher ROIC)

Metrics side by side

Valuation

Metric	HCA	VRTX
P/E ratio	13.65●	26.72
Forward P/E	11.96●	20.84
P/S ratio	1.18●	9.42
P/B ratio	—	5.96
PEG ratio	0.56●	3.27
EV / EBITDA	8.86●	20.77
FCF yield	8.81%●	3.21%

Profitability

Metric	HCA	VRTX
Gross margin	34.92%	86.28%●
Operating margin	15.67%	38.97%●
Net margin	8.89%	35.40%●
ROE	-112.56%	22.41%●
ROIC	18.53%●	18.12%

Dividends

Metric	HCA	VRTX
Dividend yield	0.76%	—
Payout ratio	10.48%	—

Growth (annualized)

Metric	HCA	VRTX
Revenue CAGR (5Y)	7.73%	13.82%●
EPS CAGR (5Y)	20.90%●	8.17%
FCF CAGR (5Y)	1.92%	4.01%●
Total return CAGR (5Y)	14.89%	18.98%●

Frequently asked

Which is better, HCA or VRTX?: It depends on your goal. value: HCA (lower P/E); growth: VRTX (faster 5Y revenue CAGR); quality: HCA (higher ROIC). Across all compared metrics, HCA leads 8 to 7.
Is HCA or VRTX cheaper?: On trailing earnings, HCA is cheaper: HCA trades at a 13.65 P/E and VRTX at 26.72.
Which has grown faster, HCA or VRTX?: Over the past five years, VRTX grew revenue faster — HCA at a 7.73% CAGR versus VRTX at 13.82%.
Does HCA or VRTX pay a bigger dividend?: HCA pays a dividend (0.76% yield) while VRTX does not currently pay one.
Is HCA or VRTX more profitable?: VRTX runs the higher net margin — HCA at 8.89% versus VRTX at 35.40%.
Which has been the better investment, HCA or VRTX?: Over the past 10-year, HCA delivered the higher annualized total return — HCA at 18.63% versus VRTX at 17.33%. Past performance doesn't predict future results.

Go deeper

Full HCA analysis Full VRTX analysis Interactive comparison tool

Dig into the metrics

HCA Healthcare P/E ratio Vertex Pharmaceuticals P/E ratio HCA Healthcare dividend yield Vertex Pharmaceuticals dividend yield HCA Healthcare ROE Vertex Pharmaceuticals ROE HCA Healthcare operating margin Vertex Pharmaceuticals operating margin HCA Healthcare revenue growth Vertex Pharmaceuticals revenue growth HCA Healthcare free cash flow Vertex Pharmaceuticals free cash flow

HCA Healthcare & Vertex Pharmaceuticals appear in these rankings

Highest ROIC Stocks Highest Operating Margin Stocks Highest FCF Yield Stocks Best 10-Year Total Return Stocks

Figures are sourced from reported fundamentals and the latest end-of-day price. This comparison is informational only and is not investment advice. Past performance does not predict future results. See our methodology. Compiled by TGMCharts Research · data verified June 16, 2026.