Comprehensive Stock Comparison
Compare Community Health Systems, Inc. (CYH) vs Agios Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (AGIO) 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 | AGIO | 48.0% revenue growth vs CYH's -1.2% |
| Quality / Margins | CYH | 4.1% net margin vs AGIO's -9.0% |
| Stability / Safety | AGIO | Beta 0.91 vs CYH's 1.24 |
| Dividends | Tie | Neither pays a meaningful dividend |
| Momentum (1Y) | CYH | +15.0% vs AGIO's -14.9% |
| Efficiency (ROA) | CYH | 3.9% ROA vs AGIO's -29.0%, ROIC 21.0% vs -26.6% |
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
Community Health Systems operates a network of general acute care hospitals across the United States. It generates revenue primarily from patient services — including inpatient care, emergency room visits, surgeries, and outpatient services — with Medicare and Medicaid representing significant portions of its payer mix. The company's scale as one of the largest for-profit hospital operators provides purchasing power and geographic diversification across multiple states.
Agios Pharmaceuticals is a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing treatments for rare genetic diseases related to cellular metabolism. It generates revenue primarily from sales of its lead drug PYRUKYND for pyruvate kinase deficiency — with additional income from research collaborations and milestone payments — while advancing a pipeline of other metabolic therapies. The company's competitive advantage lies in its deep expertise in cellular metabolism science and proprietary platform for targeting metabolic pathways in rare diseases.
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
CYH leads in 2 of 6 categories (Financial Metrics, Profitability & Efficiency). AGIO leads in 1 (Total Returns). 2 tied.
Financial Metrics (TTM)
CYH is the larger business by revenue, generating $12.5B annually — 278.7x AGIO's $45M. CYH is the more profitable business, keeping 4.1% of every revenue dollar as net income compared to AGIO's -9.0%. On growth, AGIO holds the edge at +43.7% YoY revenue growth, suggesting stronger near-term business momentum.
| Metric | CYHCommunity Health … | AGIOAgios Pharmaceuti… |
|---|---|---|
| RevenueTrailing 12 months | $12.5B | $45M |
| EBITDAEarnings before interest/tax | $1.9B | -$470M |
| Net IncomeAfter-tax profit | $509M | -$401M |
| Free Cash FlowCash after capex | $302M | -$414M |
| Gross MarginGross profit ÷ Revenue | +56.7% | +84.4% |
| Operating MarginEBIT ÷ Revenue | +11.9% | -10.6% |
| Net MarginNet income ÷ Revenue | +4.1% | -9.0% |
| FCF MarginFCF ÷ Revenue | +2.4% | -9.2% |
| Rev. Growth (YoY)Latest quarter vs prior year | -4.9% | +43.7% |
| EPS Growth (YoY)Latest quarter vs prior year | +2.5% | -111.0% |
Valuation Metrics
| Metric | CYHCommunity Health … | AGIOAgios Pharmaceuti… |
|---|---|---|
| Market CapShares × price | $485M | $2.25T |
| Enterprise ValueMkt cap + debt − cash | $888M | $2.25T |
| Trailing P/EPrice ÷ TTM EPS | 0.92x | -4.25x |
| Forward P/EPrice ÷ next-FY EPS est. | — | — |
| PEG RatioP/E ÷ EPS growth rate | — | — |
| EV / EBITDAEnterprise value multiple | 0.46x | — |
| Price / SalesMarket cap ÷ Revenue | 0.04x | 9999.00x |
| Price / BookPrice ÷ Book value/share | — | 1.47x |
| Price / FCFMarket cap ÷ FCF | 2.33x | — |
Profitability & Efficiency
On the Piotroski fundamental quality scale (0–9), CYH scores 8/9 vs AGIO's 3/9, reflecting strong financial health.
| Metric | CYHCommunity Health … | AGIOAgios Pharmaceuti… |
|---|---|---|
| ROE (TTM)Return on equity | — | -31.2% |
| ROA (TTM)Return on assets | +3.9% | -29.0% |
| ROICReturn on invested capital | +21.0% | -26.6% |
| ROCEReturn on capital employed | +13.1% | -33.8% |
| Piotroski ScoreFundamental quality 0–9 | 8 | 3 |
| Debt / EquityFinancial leverage | — | 0.03x |
| Net DebtTotal debt minus cash | $403M | -$49M |
| Cash & Equiv.Liquid assets | $260M | $89M |
| Total DebtShort + long-term debt | $663M | $40M |
| Interest CoverageEBIT ÷ Interest expense | 0.86x | — |
Total Returns (with DRIP)
A $10,000 investment in AGIO five years ago would be worth $6,363 today (with dividends reinvested), compared to $3,927 for CYH. Over the past 12 months, CYH leads with a +15.0% total return vs AGIO's -14.9%. The 3-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) favors AGIO at 6.1% vs CYH's -17.0% — a key indicator of consistent wealth creation.
| Metric | CYHCommunity Health … | AGIOAgios Pharmaceuti… |
|---|---|---|
| YTD ReturnYear-to-date | +11.6% | +11.2% |
| 1-Year ReturnPast 12 months | +15.0% | -14.9% |
| 3-Year ReturnCumulative with dividends | -42.9% | +19.4% |
| 5-Year ReturnCumulative with dividends | -60.7% | -36.4% |
| 10-Year ReturnCumulative with dividends | -77.1% | -21.2% |
| CAGR (3Y)Annualised 3-year return | -17.0% | +6.1% |
Risk & Volatility
AGIO is the less volatile stock with a 0.91 beta — it tends to amplify market swings less than CYH's 1.24 beta. A beta below 1.0 means the stock typically moves less than the S&P 500. CYH currently trades 77.4% from its 52-week high vs AGIO's 65.7% drawdown — a narrower gap to the peak suggests stronger recent price momentum.
| Metric | CYHCommunity Health … | AGIOAgios Pharmaceuti… |
|---|---|---|
| Beta (5Y)Sensitivity to S&P 500 | 1.24x | 0.91x |
| 52-Week HighHighest price in past year | $4.47 | $46.00 |
| 52-Week LowLowest price in past year | $2.24 | $22.24 |
| % of 52W HighCurrent price vs 52-week peak | +77.4% | +65.7% |
| RSI (14)Momentum oscillator 0–100 | 63.3 | 62.3 |
| Avg Volume (50D)Average daily shares traded | 1.4M | 948K |
Analyst Outlook
Wall Street rates CYH as "Hold" and AGIO as "Buy". Consensus price targets imply 37.3% upside for AGIO (target: $42) vs -1.7% for CYH (target: $3).
| Metric | CYHCommunity Health … | AGIOAgios Pharmaceuti… |
|---|---|---|
| Analyst RatingConsensus buy/hold/sell | Hold | Buy |
| Price TargetConsensus 12-month target | $3.40 | $41.50 |
| # AnalystsCovering analysts | 37 | 29 |
| Dividend YieldAnnual dividend ÷ price | — | — |
| Dividend StreakConsecutive years of raises | 2 | — |
| 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 | Feb 20 | Feb 26 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Community Health Sy… (CYH) | 100 | 64.71 | -35.3% |
| Agios Pharmaceutica… (AGIO) | 100 | 59.31 | -40.7% |
Agios Pharmaceutica… (AGIO) returned -36% over 5 years vs Community Health Sy… (CYH)'s -61%.
Chart 2Revenue Growth — 10 Years
| Stock | 2016 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Community Health Sy… (CYH) | $18.4B | $12.5B | -32.3% |
| Agios Pharmaceutica… (AGIO) | $70M | $54M | -22.7% |
Community Health Systems, Inc.'s revenue grew from $18.4B (2016) to $12.5B (2025) — a -4.2% CAGR. Agios Pharmaceuticals, Inc.'s revenue grew from $70M (2016) to $54M (2025) — a -2.8% CAGR.
Chart 3Net Margin Trend — 10 Years
| Stock | 2016 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Community Health Sy… (CYH) | -9.3% | 4.1% | +143.7% |
| Agios Pharmaceutica… (AGIO) | -2.8% | -7.6% | -169.0% |
Community Health Systems, Inc.'s net margin went from -9% (2016) to 4% (2025). Agios Pharmaceuticals, Inc.'s net margin went from -3% (2016) to -8% (2025).
Chart 4P/E Ratio History — 4 Years
| Stock | 2020 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Community Health Sy… (CYH) | 1.7 | 0.8 | -52.9% |
Community Health Systems, Inc. has traded in a 1x–12x P/E range over 4 years; current trailing P/E is ~1x.
Chart 5EPS Growth — 10 Years
| Stock | 2016 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Community Health Sy… (CYH) | -15.54 | 3.77 | +124.3% |
| Agios Pharmaceutica… (AGIO) | -5.07 | -7.12 | -40.4% |
Community Health Systems, Inc.'s EPS grew from $-15.54 (2016) to $3.77 (2025). Agios Pharmaceuticals, Inc.'s EPS grew from $-5.07 (2016) to $-7.12 (2025).
Chart 6Free Cash Flow — 5 Years
Community Health Systems, Inc. generated $208M FCF in 2025 (+135% vs 2021). Agios Pharmaceuticals, Inc. generated $-377M FCF in 2025 (+9% vs 2021).
CYH vs AGIO: Frequently Asked Questions
7 questions · data-driven answers · updated daily
01Is CYH or AGIO a better buy right now?
Community Health Systems, Inc. (CYH) offers the better valuation at 0.9x trailing P/E, making it the more compelling value choice. Analysts rate Agios Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (AGIO) a "Buy" — based on 29 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 — CYH or AGIO?
Over the past 5 years, Agios Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (AGIO) delivered a total return of -36.4%, compared to -60.7% for Community Health Systems, Inc. (CYH). A $10,000 investment in AGIO five years ago would be worth approximately $6K today (assuming dividends reinvested). Over 10 years, the gap is even starker: AGIO returned -21.2% versus CYH's -77.1%. 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 — CYH or AGIO?
By beta (market sensitivity over 5 years), Agios Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (AGIO) is the lower-risk stock at 0.91β versus Community Health Systems, Inc.'s 1.24β — meaning CYH is approximately 37% more volatile than AGIO relative to the S&P 500.
04Which has better profit margins — CYH or AGIO?
Community Health Systems, Inc. (CYH) is the more profitable company, earning 4.1% net margin versus -764.0% for Agios Pharmaceuticals, Inc. — meaning it keeps 4.1% of every revenue dollar as bottom-line profit. Operating margin tells a similar story: CYH leads at 11.9% versus -873.9% for AGIO. At the gross margin level — before operating expenses — AGIO leads at 88.3%, 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.
05Which pays a better dividend — CYH or AGIO?
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.
06Is CYH or AGIO better for a retirement portfolio?
For long-horizon retirement investors, Agios Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (AGIO) is the stronger choice — it scores higher on the combination of lower volatility, dividend reliability, and long-term compounding (low volatility (β 0.91)). Both have compounded well over 10 years (AGIO: -21.2%, CYH: -77.1%), 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.
07What are the main differences between CYH and AGIO?
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: CYH is a small-cap deep-value stock; AGIO is a mega-cap quality compounder 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.
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