Estee Lauder Companies Inc vs HCA Health Inc — how do they compare? Estee Lauder Companies Inc trades at $82.85 (market cap $29.78B), while HCA Health Inc trades at $384.52 (market cap $84.04B). The key difference: HCA Health Inc is far larger — about 2.8× Estee Lauder Companies Inc's market cap, and Estee Lauder Companies Inc pays the higher dividend (1.7%). Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| EL | HCA | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $29.78B | $84.04B |
Sector | Consumer Staples | Health |
52-Week High | $119.61 | $545.13 |
52-Week Low | $67.23 | $334.32 |
Enterprise Value | $35.95B | $132.95B |
Dividend Yield | 1.7% | 0.82% |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
Estée Lauder (EL) trades at $82.72, up 2.3% with recent earnings beats but faces fundamental challenges including a negative net income margin of -1.67% and elevated P/E ratio of 147.8. Technical indicators show bearish momentum with support at $81 and resistance at $84. The company maintains strong gross margins at 74.71% and positive analyst sentiment with 44% buy ratings and $90.60 consensus target.
While recent earnings outperformance and strong brand positioning provide upside potential, investors face risks from declining revenue trends, negative profitability, and high valuation multiples. The stock's near-term direction will depend on Q2 2026 earnings delivery and management's ability to restore sustainable growth amid competitive pressures.
HCA Healthcare (HCA) trades at $389.90, up 7.23% over the past 24 hours, with strong recent earnings beats but a bearish technical signal. The stock shows solid fundamentals with 2025 revenue of $75.60B and net income of $6.78B, supported by a P/E of 13.05 and net margin of 8.89%. However, recent news highlights guidance cuts due to payer mix shifts and rising uninsured patients, creating near-term headwinds.
The outlook is mixed: analyst consensus remains bullish with a $469.40 price target, but technical indicators and recent guidance reductions suggest caution. Key risks include margin compression and debt levels, while long-term growth drivers like capacity expansion and gene therapy research offer potential upside. Investors should weigh strong valuation metrics against operational challenges.
Trailing returns across standard periods
Latest headlines on both assets
Estee Lauder is the world leader in the global prestige beauty market, participating across skincare (56% of fiscal 2022 sales), makeup (26%), fragrance (14%), and haircare (4%) categories, with popular brands such as Estee Lauder, Clinique, MAC, La Mer, Jo Malone, Aveda, Bobbi Brown, Too Faced, Origins, Dr. Jart+, and The Ordinary. The firm operates in 150 countries, with 26% of fiscal 2022 revenue stemming from the Americas, 43% from Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, and 31% from Asia-Pacific. The company sells its products through department stores, travel retail, multi-brand specialty beauty stores, brand-dedicated freestanding stores, e-commerce, salons/spas, and perfumeries.
Read more on EL →HCA Healthcare is a Nashville-based healthcare provider organization operating the largest collection of acute-care hospitals in the U.S. As of December 2021, the firm owned and operated 182 hospitals, 125 freestanding outpatient surgery centers, and a broad network of physician offices, urgent care clinics, and freestanding emergency rooms across nearly 20 states and a small foothold in England.
Read more on HCA →