Comprehensive Stock Comparison
Compare Brookdale Senior Living Inc. (BKD) 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.
Selected Stocks
Add up to 10 tickers. Use presets or search to get started.
Quick Verdict
| Category | Winner | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Growth | BKD | 7.3% revenue growth vs FMS's 1.5% |
| Quality / Margins | FMS | 5.0% net margin vs BKD's -8.2% |
| Stability / Safety | FMS | Beta 0.40 vs BKD's 0.88 |
| Dividends | Tie | Neither pays a meaningful dividend |
| Momentum (1Y) | BKD | +168.4% vs FMS's +0.2% |
| Efficiency (ROA) | FMS | 3.2% ROA vs BKD's -4.4%, ROIC 5.6% vs 2.0% |
Who Each Stock Is For
Income & stability
Growth exposure
Long-term compounding (10Y)
Sleep-well-at-night portfolio
Defensive / Recession hedge
Business Model
What each company does and how it makes money
Brookdale Senior Living is a leading operator of senior living communities across the United States, providing independent living, assisted living, memory care, and skilled nursing services. It generates revenue primarily through resident fees — with assisted living and memory care contributing about 60% of revenue, independent living around 30%, and continuing care retirement communities making up the remainder. The company's scale advantage — operating over 600 communities nationwide — creates operational efficiencies and brand recognition that smaller regional operators cannot match.
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, Valuation Metrics). BKD leads in 1 (Total Returns). 2 tied.
Financial Metrics (TTM)
FMS is the larger business by revenue, generating $19.6B annually — 6.1x BKD's $3.2B. FMS is the more profitable business, keeping 5.0% of every revenue dollar as net income compared to BKD's -8.2%. On growth, BKD holds the edge at +11.0% YoY revenue growth, suggesting stronger near-term business momentum.
| Metric | BKDBrookdale Senior … | FMSFresenius Medical… |
|---|---|---|
| RevenueTrailing 12 months | $3.2B | $19.6B |
| EBITDAEarnings before interest/tax | $441M | $3.3B |
| Net IncomeAfter-tax profit | -$263M | $978M |
| Free Cash FlowCash after capex | $80M | $1.2B |
| Gross MarginGross profit ÷ Revenue | +88.9% | +25.6% |
| Operating MarginEBIT ÷ Revenue | +2.7% | +9.3% |
| Net MarginNet income ÷ Revenue | -8.2% | +5.0% |
| FCF MarginFCF ÷ Revenue | +2.5% | +6.0% |
| Rev. Growth (YoY)Latest quarter vs prior year | +11.0% | -0.3% |
| EPS Growth (YoY)Latest quarter vs prior year | +54.1% | +8.5% |
Valuation Metrics
On an enterprise value basis, FMS's 6.3x EV/EBITDA is more attractive than BKD's 10.2x.
| Metric | BKDBrookdale Senior … | FMSFresenius Medical… |
|---|---|---|
| Market CapShares × price | $3.6B | $13.6B |
| Enterprise ValueMkt cap + debt − cash | $4.5B | $24.4B |
| Trailing P/EPrice ÷ TTM EPS | -13.66x | 11.84x |
| Forward P/EPrice ÷ next-FY EPS est. | — | 9.89x |
| PEG RatioP/E ÷ EPS growth rate | — | 2.32x |
| EV / EBITDAEnterprise value multiple | 10.21x | 6.33x |
| Price / SalesMarket cap ÷ Revenue | 1.14x | 0.59x |
| Price / BookPrice ÷ Book value/share | — | 0.81x |
| Price / FCFMarket cap ÷ FCF | 16.68x | — |
Profitability & Efficiency
FMS delivers a 6.8% return on equity — every $100 of shareholder capital generates $7 in annual profit, vs $-3 for BKD. On the Piotroski fundamental quality scale (0–9), BKD scores 6/9 vs FMS's 5/9, reflecting solid financial health.
| Metric | BKDBrookdale Senior … | FMSFresenius Medical… |
|---|---|---|
| ROE (TTM)Return on equity | -3.1% | +6.8% |
| ROA (TTM)Return on assets | -4.4% | +3.2% |
| ROICReturn on invested capital | +2.0% | +5.6% |
| ROCEReturn on capital employed | +1.5% | +6.9% |
| Piotroski ScoreFundamental quality 0–9 | 6 | 5 |
| Debt / EquityFinancial leverage | — | 0.76x |
| Net DebtTotal debt minus cash | $869M | $9.2B |
| Cash & Equiv.Liquid assets | $279M | $1.6B |
| Total DebtShort + long-term debt | $1.1B | $10.8B |
| Interest CoverageEBIT ÷ Interest expense | 11.24x | 6.84x |
Total Returns (with DRIP)
A $10,000 investment in BKD five years ago would be worth $26,842 today (with dividends reinvested), compared to $7,718 for FMS. Over the past 12 months, BKD leads with a +168.4% total return vs FMS's +0.2%. The 3-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) favors BKD at 67.9% vs FMS's 9.1% — a key indicator of consistent wealth creation.
| Metric | BKDBrookdale Senior … | FMSFresenius Medical… |
|---|---|---|
| YTD ReturnYear-to-date | +41.1% | -0.2% |
| 1-Year ReturnPast 12 months | +168.4% | +0.2% |
| 3-Year ReturnCumulative with dividends | +373.7% | +29.7% |
| 5-Year ReturnCumulative with dividends | +168.4% | -22.8% |
| 10-Year ReturnCumulative with dividends | +6.5% | -28.5% |
| CAGR (3Y)Annualised 3-year return | +67.9% | +9.1% |
Risk & Volatility
FMS is the less volatile stock with a 0.40 beta — it tends to amplify market swings less than BKD's 0.88 beta. A beta below 1.0 means the stock typically moves less than the S&P 500. BKD currently trades 90.0% from its 52-week high vs FMS's 77.0% drawdown — a narrower gap to the peak suggests stronger recent price momentum.
| Metric | BKDBrookdale Senior … | FMSFresenius Medical… |
|---|---|---|
| Beta (5Y)Sensitivity to S&P 500 | 0.88x | 0.40x |
| 52-Week HighHighest price in past year | $17.00 | $30.46 |
| 52-Week LowLowest price in past year | $4.97 | $20.95 |
| % of 52W HighCurrent price vs 52-week peak | +90.0% | +77.0% |
| RSI (14)Momentum oscillator 0–100 | 54.6 | 49.0 |
| Avg Volume (50D)Average daily shares traded | 4.6M | 518K |
Analyst Outlook
Wall Street rates BKD as "Buy" and FMS as "Hold". Consensus price targets imply 19.4% upside for FMS (target: $28) vs 14.4% for BKD (target: $18).
| Metric | BKDBrookdale Senior … | FMSFresenius Medical… |
|---|---|---|
| Analyst RatingConsensus buy/hold/sell | Buy | Hold |
| Price TargetConsensus 12-month target | $17.50 | $28.00 |
| # AnalystsCovering analysts | 12 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brookdale Senior Li… (BKD) | 100 | 256.98 | +157.0% |
| Fresenius Medical C… (FMS) | 100 | 56.36 | -43.6% |
Brookdale Senior Li… (BKD) returned +168% over 5 years vs Fresenius Medical C… (FMS)'s -23%. A $10,000 investment in BKD 5 years ago would be worth $26,842 today (including dividends reinvested).
Chart 2Revenue Growth — 10 Years
| Stock | 2016 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brookdale Senior Li… (BKD) | $4.2B | $3.2B | -24.5% |
| Fresenius Medical C… (FMS) | $17.0B | $19.6B | +15.3% |
Brookdale Senior Living Inc.'s revenue grew from $4.2B (2016) to $3.2B (2025) — a -3.1% CAGR. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brookdale Senior Li… (BKD) | -9.5% | -8.2% | +13.8% |
| Fresenius Medical C… (FMS) | 6.9% | 5.0% | -28.2% |
Brookdale Senior Living Inc.'s net margin went from -10% (2016) to -8% (2025). 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fresenius Medical C… (FMS) | 25.3 | 14.2 | -43.9% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brookdale Senior Li… (BKD) | -2.18 | -1.12 | +48.6% |
| Fresenius Medical C… (FMS) | 1.87 | 1.68 | -10.2% |
Brookdale Senior Living Inc.'s EPS grew from $-2.18 (2016) to $-1.12 (2025). 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
Brookdale Senior Living Inc. generated $218M FCF in 2025 (+180% vs 2021). Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA generated $0M FCF in 2025 (-100% vs 2021).
BKD vs FMS: Frequently Asked Questions
8 questions · data-driven answers · updated daily
01Is BKD or FMS a better buy right now?
Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA (FMS) offers the better valuation at 11.8x trailing P/E (9.9x forward), making it the more compelling value choice. Analysts rate Brookdale Senior Living Inc. (BKD) a "Buy" — based on 12 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 is the better long-term investment — BKD or FMS?
Over the past 5 years, Brookdale Senior Living Inc. (BKD) delivered a total return of +168.4%, compared to -22.8% for Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA (FMS). A $10,000 investment in BKD five years ago would be worth approximately $27K today (assuming dividends reinvested). Over 10 years, the gap is even starker: BKD returned +6.5% 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.
03Which is safer — BKD or FMS?
By beta (market sensitivity over 5 years), Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA (FMS) is the lower-risk stock at 0.40β versus Brookdale Senior Living Inc.'s 0.88β — meaning BKD is approximately 119% more volatile than FMS relative to the S&P 500.
04Which has better profit margins — BKD or FMS?
Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA (FMS) is the more profitable company, earning 5.0% net margin versus -8.2% for Brookdale Senior Living Inc. — meaning it keeps 5.0% of every revenue dollar as bottom-line profit. Operating margin tells a similar story: FMS leads at 9.3% versus 2.7% for BKD. At the gross margin level — before operating expenses — BKD leads at 88.9%, 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.
05Is BKD or FMS more undervalued right now?
Analyst consensus price targets imply the most upside for FMS: 19.4% to $28.00.
06Which pays a better dividend — BKD 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 BKD or FMS better for a retirement portfolio?
For long-horizon retirement investors, Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA (FMS) is the stronger choice — it scores higher on the combination of lower volatility, dividend reliability, and long-term compounding (low volatility (β 0.40)). Both have compounded well over 10 years (FMS: -28.5%, BKD: +6.5%), 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 BKD 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. In terms of investment character: BKD is a small-cap quality compounder stock; FMS is a mid-cap deep-value stock. 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.
Find Stocks Like These
Explore pre-built screens for each stock's profile, or build a custom screen to find stocks that beat both.