Comprehensive Stock Comparison
Compare American Shared Hospital Services (AMS) vs Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA (FMS) Stock
Analyze side-by-side fundamentals, valuation, growth, and profitability to decide which stock is the better buy.
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Quick Verdict
| Category | Winner | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Growth | AMS | 32.9% revenue growth vs FMS's 1.5% |
| Value | AMS | Lower P/E (6.4x vs 9.9x), PEG 0.97 vs 1.94 |
| Quality / Margins | FMS | 5.0% net margin vs AMS's -7.6% |
| Stability / Safety | FMS | Lower D/E ratio (75.6% vs 77.4%) |
| Dividends | Tie | Neither pays a meaningful dividend |
| Momentum (1Y) | FMS | +0.2% vs AMS's -28.0% |
| Efficiency (ROA) | FMS | 3.2% ROA vs AMS's -3.8%, ROIC 5.6% vs -5.8% |
Who Each Stock Is For
Income & stability
Growth exposure
Long-term compounding (10Y)
Sleep-well-at-night portfolio
Valuation efficiency (growth/$)
Defensive / Recession hedge
Business Model
What each company does and how it makes money
American Shared Hospital Services is a specialized medical equipment leasing company that provides Gamma Knife radiosurgery systems and proton beam radiation therapy equipment to healthcare providers. It generates revenue primarily through equipment leasing arrangements — typically taking a percentage of procedure fees — and also offers financing, installation, and support services. The company's moat lies in its specialized focus on high-cost, technologically advanced radiation therapy equipment that requires significant capital investment, creating barriers to entry for smaller competitors.
Fresenius Medical Care is a global leader in dialysis care and products for patients with chronic kidney failure. It generates revenue through two main segments: dialysis services (about 75% of revenue) from its network of outpatient clinics and hospital contracts, and dialysis products (about 25%) including machines, dialyzers, and related supplies. The company's key advantage is its vertically integrated model—combining clinics, products, and services—which creates patient stickiness and economies of scale in the capital-intensive dialysis industry.
Revenue Breakdown by Segment
How each company's revenue is distributed across its business units
Financial Metrics Comparison
Side-by-side fundamentals across 2 stocks. BestLagging
Financial Scorecard
FMS leads in 3 of 6 categories (Financial Metrics, Profitability & Efficiency). AMS leads in 1 (Valuation Metrics). 2 tied.
Financial Metrics (TTM)
FMS is the larger business by revenue, generating $19.6B annually — 667.1x AMS's $29M. FMS is the more profitable business, keeping 5.0% of every revenue dollar as net income compared to AMS's -7.6%.
| Metric | AMSAmerican Shared H… | FMSFresenius Medical… |
|---|---|---|
| RevenueTrailing 12 months | $29M | $19.6B |
| EBITDAEarnings before interest/tax | $2M | $3.3B |
| Net IncomeAfter-tax profit | -$2M | $978M |
| Free Cash FlowCash after capex | -$10M | $1.2B |
| Gross MarginGross profit ÷ Revenue | +25.0% | +25.6% |
| Operating MarginEBIT ÷ Revenue | -12.3% | +9.3% |
| Net MarginNet income ÷ Revenue | -7.6% | +5.0% |
| FCF MarginFCF ÷ Revenue | -34.7% | +6.0% |
| Rev. Growth (YoY)Latest quarter vs prior year | +2.5% | -0.3% |
| EPS Growth (YoY)Latest quarter vs prior year | -56.7% | +8.5% |
Valuation Metrics
At 6.4x trailing earnings, AMS trades at a 46% valuation discount to FMS's 11.8x P/E. Adjusting for growth (PEG ratio), AMS offers better value at 0.97x vs FMS's 2.32x — a lower PEG means you pay less per unit of expected earnings growth.
| Metric | AMSAmerican Shared H… | FMSFresenius Medical… |
|---|---|---|
| Market CapShares × price | $14M | $13.6B |
| Enterprise ValueMkt cap + debt − cash | $26M | $24.4B |
| Trailing P/EPrice ÷ TTM EPS | 6.39x | 11.84x |
| Forward P/EPrice ÷ next-FY EPS est. | — | 9.89x |
| PEG RatioP/E ÷ EPS growth rate | 0.97x | 2.32x |
| EV / EBITDAEnterprise value multiple | 7.70x | 6.33x |
| Price / SalesMarket cap ÷ Revenue | 0.48x | 0.59x |
| Price / BookPrice ÷ Book value/share | 0.47x | 0.81x |
| Price / FCFMarket cap ÷ FCF | — | — |
Profitability & Efficiency
FMS delivers a 6.8% return on equity — every $100 of shareholder capital generates $7 in annual profit, vs $-8 for AMS. FMS carries lower financial leverage with a 0.76x debt-to-equity ratio, signaling a more conservative balance sheet compared to AMS's 0.77x.
| Metric | AMSAmerican Shared H… | FMSFresenius Medical… |
|---|---|---|
| ROE (TTM)Return on equity | -7.9% | +6.8% |
| ROA (TTM)Return on assets | -3.8% | +3.2% |
| ROICReturn on invested capital | -5.8% | +5.6% |
| ROCEReturn on capital employed | -6.4% | +6.9% |
| Piotroski ScoreFundamental quality 0–9 | 5 | 5 |
| Debt / EquityFinancial leverage | 0.77x | 0.76x |
| Net DebtTotal debt minus cash | $12M | $9.2B |
| Cash & Equiv.Liquid assets | $11M | $1.6B |
| Total DebtShort + long-term debt | $23M | $10.8B |
| Interest CoverageEBIT ÷ Interest expense | -1.35x | 6.84x |
Total Returns (with DRIP)
A $10,000 investment in AMS five years ago would be worth $8,115 today (with dividends reinvested), compared to $7,718 for FMS. Over the past 12 months, FMS leads with a +0.2% total return vs AMS's -28.0%. The 3-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) favors FMS at 9.1% vs AMS's -16.9% — a key indicator of consistent wealth creation.
| Metric | AMSAmerican Shared H… | FMSFresenius Medical… |
|---|---|---|
| YTD ReturnYear-to-date | +0.5% | -0.2% |
| 1-Year ReturnPast 12 months | -28.0% | +0.2% |
| 3-Year ReturnCumulative with dividends | -42.7% | +29.7% |
| 5-Year ReturnCumulative with dividends | -18.8% | -22.8% |
| 10-Year ReturnCumulative with dividends | +15.3% | -28.5% |
| CAGR (3Y)Annualised 3-year return | -16.9% | +9.1% |
Risk & Volatility
AMS is the less volatile stock with a -0.01 beta — it tends to amplify market swings less than FMS's 0.40 beta. A beta below 1.0 means the stock typically moves less than the S&P 500. FMS currently trades 77.0% from its 52-week high vs AMS's 67.8% drawdown — a narrower gap to the peak suggests stronger recent price momentum.
| Metric | AMSAmerican Shared H… | FMSFresenius Medical… |
|---|---|---|
| Beta (5Y)Sensitivity to S&P 500 | -0.01x | 0.40x |
| 52-Week HighHighest price in past year | $3.11 | $30.46 |
| 52-Week LowLowest price in past year | $2.01 | $20.95 |
| % of 52W HighCurrent price vs 52-week peak | +67.8% | +77.0% |
| RSI (14)Momentum oscillator 0–100 | 48.1 | 49.0 |
| Avg Volume (50D)Average daily shares traded | 7K | 518K |
Analyst Outlook
| Metric | AMSAmerican Shared H… | FMSFresenius Medical… |
|---|---|---|
| Analyst RatingConsensus buy/hold/sell | — | Hold |
| Price TargetConsensus 12-month target | — | $28.00 |
| # AnalystsCovering analysts | — | 18 |
| Dividend YieldAnnual dividend ÷ price | — | — |
| Dividend StreakConsecutive years of raises | 0 | 3 |
| Dividend / ShareAnnual DPS | — | — |
| Buyback YieldShare repurchases ÷ mkt cap | 0.0% | 0.0% |
Historical Charts
Charts are rendered on first load. Hover for details.
Chart 1Total Return — 5 Years (Rebased to 100)
| Stock | Mar 20 | Feb 26 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| American Shared Hos… (AMS) | 100 | 96.38 | -3.6% |
| Fresenius Medical C… (FMS) | 100 | 56.36 | -43.6% |
American Shared Hos… (AMS) returned -19% over 5 years vs Fresenius Medical C… (FMS)'s -23%.
Chart 2Revenue Growth — 10 Years
| Stock | 2016 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| American Shared Hos… (AMS) | $19M | $28M | +51.6% |
| Fresenius Medical C… (FMS) | $17.0B | $19.6B | +15.3% |
Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA's revenue grew from $17.0B (2016) to $19.6B (2025) — a 1.6% CAGR.
Chart 3Net Margin Trend — 10 Years
| Stock | 2016 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| American Shared Hos… (AMS) | 5.0% | 7.7% | +55.1% |
| Fresenius Medical C… (FMS) | 6.9% | 5.0% | -28.2% |
Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA's net margin went from 7% (2016) to 5% (2025).
Chart 4P/E Ratio History — 9 Years
| Stock | 2017 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| American Shared Hos… (AMS) | 7.9 | 9.7 | +22.8% |
| Fresenius Medical C… (FMS) | 25.3 | 14.2 | -43.9% |
American Shared Hospital Services has traded in a 8x–74x P/E range over 7 years; current trailing P/E is ~6x. Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA has traded in a 10x–39x P/E range over 9 years; current trailing P/E is ~12x.
Chart 5EPS Growth — 10 Years
| Stock | 2016 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| American Shared Hos… (AMS) | 0.17 | 0.33 | +94.1% |
| Fresenius Medical C… (FMS) | 1.87 | 1.68 | -10.2% |
Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA's EPS grew from $1.87 (2016) to $1.68 (2025) — a -1% CAGR.
Chart 6Free Cash Flow — 5 Years
American Shared Hospital Services generated $-8M FCF in 2024 (-269% vs 2021). Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA generated $0M FCF in 2025 (-100% vs 2021).
AMS vs FMS: Frequently Asked Questions
8 questions · data-driven answers · updated daily
01Is AMS or FMS a better buy right now?
American Shared Hospital Services (AMS) offers the better valuation at 6.4x trailing P/E, making it the more compelling value choice. Analysts rate Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA (FMS) a "Hold" — based on 18 analyst ratings — the highest consensus in this comparison. The "better buy" depends entirely on your goals: growth investors should weight revenue trajectory, value investors should weight P/E and PEG, and income investors should weight dividend yield and streak.
02Which has the better valuation — AMS or FMS?
On trailing P/E, American Shared Hospital Services (AMS) is the cheapest at 6.4x versus Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA at 11.8x.
03Which is the better long-term investment — AMS or FMS?
Over the past 5 years, American Shared Hospital Services (AMS) delivered a total return of -18.8%, compared to -22.8% for Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA (FMS). A $10,000 investment in AMS five years ago would be worth approximately $8K today (assuming dividends reinvested). Over 10 years, the gap is even starker: AMS returned +15.3% versus FMS's -28.5%. Past returns do not guarantee future results, and the stock with the higher historical return may already have its best growth priced in.
04Which is safer — AMS or FMS?
By beta (market sensitivity over 5 years), American Shared Hospital Services (AMS) is the lower-risk stock at -0.01β versus Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA's 0.40β — meaning FMS is approximately -3774% more volatile than AMS relative to the S&P 500. On balance sheet safety, Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA (FMS) carries a lower debt/equity ratio of 76% versus 77% for American Shared Hospital Services — giving it more financial flexibility in a downturn.
05Which has better profit margins — AMS or FMS?
American Shared Hospital Services (AMS) is the more profitable company, earning 7.7% net margin versus 5.0% for Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA — meaning it keeps 7.7% of every revenue dollar as bottom-line profit. Operating margin tells a similar story: FMS leads at 9.3% versus -9.9% for AMS. At the gross margin level — before operating expenses — AMS leads at 32.4%, reflecting greater pricing power or product mix advantage. Stronger margins indicate durable pricing power, lower cost of revenue, or higher mix of software/services. They are one of the clearest signs of business quality.
06Which pays a better dividend — AMS or FMS?
None of the stocks in this comparison currently pay a material dividend. All are effectively zero-yield and should be held for capital appreciation rather than income.
07Is AMS or FMS better for a retirement portfolio?
For long-horizon retirement investors, American Shared Hospital Services (AMS) is the stronger choice — it scores higher on the combination of lower volatility, dividend reliability, and long-term compounding (low volatility (β -0.01)). Both have compounded well over 10 years (AMS: +15.3%, FMS: -28.5%), confirming both are viable long-term holds — but the lower-volatility option typically results in less emotional selling during corrections. Retirement portfolios generally favour predictability over maximum returns. Consult a financial advisor before making allocation decisions.
08What are the main differences between AMS and FMS?
Both stocks operate in the Healthcare sector, making this a peer-level intra-sector comparison — the same macro tailwinds and headwinds will affect both. These fundamental differences mean investors should not choose between them on a single metric — the "better stock" depends entirely on which of these characteristics aligns with your investment strategy.
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