Comprehensive Stock Comparison
Compare Brookdale Senior Living Inc. (BKD) vs Select Medical Holdings Corporation (SEM) 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 | BKD | 7.3% revenue growth vs SEM's 5.1% |
| Value | SEM | Better valuation composite |
| Quality / Margins | SEM | 2.8% net margin vs BKD's -8.2% |
| Stability / Safety | SEM | Beta 0.72 vs BKD's 0.88 |
| Dividends | SEM | 1.7% yield; BKD pays no meaningful dividend |
| Momentum (1Y) | BKD | +168.4% vs SEM's -16.3% |
| Efficiency (ROA) | SEM | 1.9% ROA vs BKD's -4.4%, ROIC 0.0% 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.
Select Medical operates a network of specialized healthcare facilities including critical illness recovery hospitals, rehabilitation hospitals, outpatient clinics, and occupational health centers across the United States. It generates revenue primarily from patient care services—roughly 60% from its critical illness and rehabilitation hospital segments and 40% from outpatient and occupational health services—with most payments coming from government programs like Medicare and private insurers. The company's competitive advantage lies in its specialized, post-acute care focus and geographic network density that creates referral relationships with acute-care hospitals.
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
BKD leads in 3 of 6 categories — strongest in Financial Metrics and Profitability & Efficiency. 2 categories are tied.
Financial Metrics (TTM)
SEM and BKD operate at a comparable scale, with $3.9B and $3.2B in trailing revenue. SEM is the more profitable business, keeping 2.8% 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 … | SEMSelect Medical Ho… |
|---|---|---|
| RevenueTrailing 12 months | $3.2B | $3.9B |
| EBITDAEarnings before interest/tax | $441M | $197M |
| Net IncomeAfter-tax profit | -$263M | $110M |
| Free Cash FlowCash after capex | $80M | $174M |
| Gross MarginGross profit ÷ Revenue | +88.9% | +8.2% |
| Operating MarginEBIT ÷ Revenue | +2.7% | +1.2% |
| Net MarginNet income ÷ Revenue | -8.2% | +2.8% |
| FCF MarginFCF ÷ Revenue | +2.5% | +4.4% |
| Rev. Growth (YoY)Latest quarter vs prior year | +11.0% | -22.6% |
| EPS Growth (YoY)Latest quarter vs prior year | +54.1% | -46.5% |
Valuation Metrics
On an enterprise value basis, BKD's 10.2x EV/EBITDA is more attractive than SEM's 20.3x.
| Metric | BKDBrookdale Senior … | SEMSelect Medical Ho… |
|---|---|---|
| Market CapShares × price | $3.6B | $1.9B |
| Enterprise ValueMkt cap + debt − cash | $4.5B | $2.9B |
| Trailing P/EPrice ÷ TTM EPS | -13.66x | 12.91x |
| Forward P/EPrice ÷ next-FY EPS est. | — | 12.04x |
| PEG RatioP/E ÷ EPS growth rate | — | — |
| EV / EBITDAEnterprise value multiple | 10.21x | 20.26x |
| Price / SalesMarket cap ÷ Revenue | 1.14x | 0.34x |
| Price / BookPrice ÷ Book value/share | — | 0.91x |
| Price / FCFMarket cap ÷ FCF | 16.68x | 4.84x |
Profitability & Efficiency
SEM delivers a 5.5% return on equity — every $100 of shareholder capital generates $5 in annual profit, vs $-3 for BKD.
| Metric | BKDBrookdale Senior … | SEMSelect Medical Ho… |
|---|---|---|
| ROE (TTM)Return on equity | -3.1% | +5.5% |
| ROA (TTM)Return on assets | -4.4% | +1.9% |
| ROICReturn on invested capital | +2.0% | +0.0% |
| ROCEReturn on capital employed | +1.5% | +0.0% |
| Piotroski ScoreFundamental quality 0–9 | 6 | 6 |
| Debt / EquityFinancial leverage | — | 0.51x |
| Net DebtTotal debt minus cash | $869M | $1.0B |
| Cash & Equiv.Liquid assets | $279M | $27M |
| Total DebtShort + long-term debt | $1.1B | $1.0B |
| Interest CoverageEBIT ÷ Interest expense | 11.24x | 1.12x |
Total Returns (with DRIP)
A $10,000 investment in BKD five years ago would be worth $26,842 today (with dividends reinvested), compared to $9,138 for SEM. Over the past 12 months, BKD leads with a +168.4% total return vs SEM's -16.3%. The 3-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) favors BKD at 67.9% vs SEM's 2.5% — a key indicator of consistent wealth creation.
| Metric | BKDBrookdale Senior … | SEMSelect Medical Ho… |
|---|---|---|
| YTD ReturnYear-to-date | +41.1% | +1.0% |
| 1-Year ReturnPast 12 months | +168.4% | -16.3% |
| 3-Year ReturnCumulative with dividends | +373.7% | +7.6% |
| 5-Year ReturnCumulative with dividends | +168.4% | -8.6% |
| 10-Year ReturnCumulative with dividends | +6.5% | +208.0% |
| CAGR (3Y)Annualised 3-year return | +67.9% | +2.5% |
Risk & Volatility
SEM is the less volatile stock with a 0.72 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 SEM's 80.4% drawdown — a narrower gap to the peak suggests stronger recent price momentum.
| Metric | BKDBrookdale Senior … | SEMSelect Medical Ho… |
|---|---|---|
| Beta (5Y)Sensitivity to S&P 500 | 0.88x | 0.72x |
| 52-Week HighHighest price in past year | $17.00 | $18.61 |
| 52-Week LowLowest price in past year | $4.97 | $11.65 |
| % of 52W HighCurrent price vs 52-week peak | +90.0% | +80.4% |
| RSI (14)Momentum oscillator 0–100 | 54.6 | 40.0 |
| Avg Volume (50D)Average daily shares traded | 4.6M | 608K |
Analyst Outlook
Wall Street rates BKD as "Buy" and SEM as "Buy". Consensus price targets imply 20.2% upside for SEM (target: $18) vs 14.4% for BKD (target: $18). SEM is the only dividend payer here at 1.69% yield — a key consideration for income-focused portfolios.
| Metric | BKDBrookdale Senior … | SEMSelect Medical Ho… |
|---|---|---|
| Analyst RatingConsensus buy/hold/sell | Buy | Buy |
| Price TargetConsensus 12-month target | $17.50 | $18.00 |
| # AnalystsCovering analysts | 12 | 13 |
| Dividend YieldAnnual dividend ÷ price | — | +1.7% |
| Dividend StreakConsecutive years of raises | 0 | 0 |
| Dividend / ShareAnnual DPS | — | $0.25 |
| Buyback YieldShare repurchases ÷ mkt cap | 0.0% | +5.4% |
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% |
| Select Medical Hold… (SEM) | 100 | 113.73 | +13.7% |
Brookdale Senior Li… (BKD) returned +168% over 5 years vs Select Medical Hold… (SEM)'s -9%. 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% |
| Select Medical Hold… (SEM) | $4.3B | $5.5B | +27.2% |
Brookdale Senior Living Inc.'s revenue grew from $4.2B (2016) to $3.2B (2025) — a -3.1% CAGR. Select Medical Holdings Corporation's revenue grew from $4.3B (2016) to $5.5B (2025) — a 2.7% CAGR.
Chart 3Net Margin Trend — 10 Years
| Stock | 2016 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brookdale Senior Li… (BKD) | -9.5% | -8.2% | +13.8% |
| Select Medical Hold… (SEM) | 2.7% | 2.7% | -0.4% |
Brookdale Senior Living Inc.'s net margin went from -10% (2016) to -8% (2025). Select Medical Holdings Corporation's net margin went from 3% (2016) to 3% (2025).
Chart 4P/E Ratio History — 9 Years
| Stock | 2017 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Select Medical Hold… (SEM) | 10.9 | 12.8 | +17.4% |
Select Medical Holdings Corporation has traded in a 5x–13x P/E range over 9 years; current trailing P/E is ~13x.
Chart 5EPS Growth — 10 Years
| Stock | 2016 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brookdale Senior Li… (BKD) | -2.18 | -1.12 | +48.6% |
| Select Medical Hold… (SEM) | 0.87 | 1.16 | +33.3% |
Brookdale Senior Living Inc.'s EPS grew from $-2.18 (2016) to $-1.12 (2025). Select Medical Holdings Corporation's EPS grew from $0.87 (2016) to $1.16 (2025) — a 3% CAGR.
Chart 6Free Cash Flow — 5 Years
Brookdale Senior Living Inc. generated $218M FCF in 2025 (+180% vs 2021). Select Medical Holdings Corporation generated $383M FCF in 2025 (+73% vs 2021).
BKD vs SEM: Frequently Asked Questions
8 questions · data-driven answers · updated daily
01Is BKD or SEM a better buy right now?
Select Medical Holdings Corporation (SEM) offers the better valuation at 12.9x trailing P/E (12.0x 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 SEM?
Over the past 5 years, Brookdale Senior Living Inc. (BKD) delivered a total return of +168.4%, compared to -8.6% for Select Medical Holdings Corporation (SEM). 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: SEM returned +208.0% versus BKD's +6.5%. 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 SEM?
By beta (market sensitivity over 5 years), Select Medical Holdings Corporation (SEM) is the lower-risk stock at 0.72β versus Brookdale Senior Living Inc.'s 0.88β — meaning BKD is approximately 21% more volatile than SEM relative to the S&P 500.
04Which has better profit margins — BKD or SEM?
Select Medical Holdings Corporation (SEM) is the more profitable company, earning 2.7% net margin versus -8.2% for Brookdale Senior Living Inc. — meaning it keeps 2.7% of every revenue dollar as bottom-line profit. Operating margin tells a similar story: BKD leads at 2.7% versus 0.0% for SEM. 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 SEM more undervalued right now?
Analyst consensus price targets imply the most upside for SEM: 20.2% to $18.00.
06Which pays a better dividend — BKD or SEM?
In this comparison, SEM (1.7% yield) pays a dividend. BKD does not pay a meaningful dividend and should not be held primarily for income.
07Is BKD or SEM better for a retirement portfolio?
For long-horizon retirement investors, Select Medical Holdings Corporation (SEM) is the stronger choice — it scores higher on the combination of lower volatility, dividend reliability, and long-term compounding (low volatility (β 0.72), 1.7% yield, +208.0% 10Y return). Both have compounded well over 10 years (SEM: +208.0%, 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 SEM?
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; SEM is a small-cap deep-value stock. SEM pays a dividend while BKD does not, making them suitable for different income and tax situations. 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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