Verdict: Side-by-side breakdown using the Bull Rankings model. CTRE scored 82.0, NHI scored 74.0 — CTRE leads.
Compare another set
CTRE
CareTrust REIT, Inc.
REIT - Healthcare Facilities · Financial strength
72.1Fin
$36.56 · $8.6B
fundamentals as of
Strength gap
5.1
NHI leads
NHI
National Health Investors, Inc.
REIT - Healthcare Facilities · Financial strength
77.2Fin
$65.60 · $3.2B
fundamentals as of
At a glance · who leads each dimension, on the model's own rules
Fastest growthCTRE+61.8%
Strongest balance sheetCTRE0.27
Side by side · every name on one set of axes
Fundamentals, head-to-head
CTRE
NHI
4.3%B+
Yield
5.8%A-
+61.8%A
Rev
+12.1%B+
0.27A
D/E
0.80B+
Winner per row is the stronger grade; where grades tie, the better figure breaks it. A true tie or a missing value shows no highlight.
The companies
CTRECareTrust REIT, Inc.
REIT - Healthcare Facilities · $36.56 · beta 0.77
Why now
REIT - Healthcare Facilities · market cap $8.6b. 16% off the 52-week high of $43.62. Revenue growing +62% — in hypergrowth territory. 13 sell-side analysts rate this a Strong Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $44.62 (implying +22% upside).
Moat
Net margin 62% is exceptional — pricing-power territory rare outside premium software, branded staples, and specialty pharma.
Risk
Dividend payout 91% of earnings on a 4.3% yield — distribution coverage is thin; one earnings stumble could force a dividend cut. P/S 15.1x embeds aggressive forward growth — disappointing top-line guidance would compress the multiple hard.
NHINational Health Investors, Inc.
REIT - Healthcare Facilities · $65.60 · beta 0.52
Why now
REIT - Healthcare Facilities · market cap $3.2b. Down 28% from 52-week high of $91.38 — deep drawdown territory. Revenue growing +12%, comfortably above the S&P median. 8 sell-side analysts rate this a Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $81.88 (implying +25% upside).
Moat
Net margin 38% is exceptional — pricing-power territory rare outside premium software, branded staples, and specialty pharma. ROE 11% meets the long-run market sustainable threshold — solid but not differentiated; the durability comes from elsewhere.
Risk
Dividend payout 106% of earnings on a 5.8% yield — distribution coverage is thin; one earnings stumble could force a dividend cut.
Verdict — model-derived comparison
Generating verdict… typically 5–10 seconds
Not investment advice. The Bull Rankings publishes a quantitative ranking model and accompanying analysis for general informational purposes only. Nothing on this page is a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security; nothing is personalized to your circumstances, risk tolerance, or tax situation. Investing carries the risk of loss — invest at your own risk and consider consulting a licensed financial professional before acting on anything you read here. See terms and methodology for full disclosures.
Common questions
Is CTRE or NHI the better stock?
CTRE scores higher: CTRE 82.0, NHI 74.0 out of 100 on the Bull Rankings quality-growth score, which blends business quality, growth and valuation into one number. A higher score means a stronger business at a more reasonable price — it is not a price target or a recommendation.
How are CTRE and NHI scored?
Each carries the same 0–100 quality-growth score used everywhere on the site, built from three pillars — quality (profitability and returns on capital), growth (revenue and earnings), and value (what you pay for them) — combined as a geometric mean, so a weak pillar cannot be papered over by a strong one.
How current is this comparison?
The whole universe is re-scored every trading day after the US market close, so the scores and fundamentals here reflect the latest published edition.