UnitedHealth Group (UNH) Stock Analysis

July 23, 2026

This is a peer-relative look at UnitedHealth Group (UNH): its performance, risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividend, and valuation are each measured against its Health Care Equipment & Services peers, so every number reads in context rather than in isolation.

Company Profile

Company profile fields for UnitedHealth Group (UNH)
Profile Item	UNH
Name	UnitedHealth Group Incorporated
Country/Region	United States
GICS Sector	Health Care
GICS Industry Group	Health Care Equipment & Services
GICS Industry	Health Care Providers & Services
GICS Sub-Industry	Managed Health Care
Market Capitalization	396.27 billion USD
Currency	USD
Exchange	NYSE
Listing Date	October 17, 1984
Security Type	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

UNH

GSPC

UnitedHealth Group (UNH) vs. S&P 500 (GSPC): Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for UnitedHealth Group (UNH) and S&P 500 (GSPC). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for UnitedHealth Group (UNH) and S&P 500 (GSPC). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

UnitedHealth Group (UNH) metric values compared with Health Care Equipment & Services industry-group medians
Metric	Current stock: UNH	Industry group median
Total Return (1Y)	58.80%	17.01%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	-2.91%	-0.94%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	2.81%	-4.33%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

UNH

GSPC

UnitedHealth Group (UNH) vs. S&P 500 (GSPC): Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for UnitedHealth Group (UNH) and S&P 500 (GSPC). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

UnitedHealth Group (UNH) metric values compared with Health Care Equipment & Services industry-group medians
Metric	Current stock: UNH	Industry group median
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	39.68%	49.85%
Beta (5Y)	0.62	0.87
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-61.39%	-71.62%

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

Each dot is a stock plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. UNH is highlighted; the dashed line is the Capital Allocation Line from the risk-free rate through the industry median — dots above it are stronger on a risk-adjusted basis.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

UnitedHealth Group (UNH) metric values compared with Health Care Equipment & Services industry-group medians
Metric	Current stock: UNH	Industry group median
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	1.38	0.28
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	1.97	0.45

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

UnitedHealth Group (UNH) posts ROE of 14.15%, in the upper peer quartile. That suggests the company earns more from each dollar of shareholders’ equity than most industry peers, a useful capital-efficiency signal.

UNH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

14.15%

Group distribution

Max: 53.65%
UNH: 14.15%
Q3: 13.93%
Median: 3.71%
Q1: -16.92%
Min: -59.21%

Largest peers

ISRG: 17.42%
SYK: 15.20%
UNH: 14.15%
MDT: 9.84%
CVS: 3.75%
ABT: --
MCK: --

Where UnitedHealth Group (UNH) stands on ROE within its Health Care Equipment & Services peer group — the box is the group’s distribution and the dots its largest members.

Net Margin (TTM)

UnitedHealth Group (UNH) keeps 3.14% of revenue as net profit, roughly in line with the peer group’s normal net margin range. Its full cost stack is taking a typical share of sales for the industry.

UNH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

3.14%

Group distribution

Max: 30.40%
Q3: 8.56%
UNH: 3.14%
Median: 1.55%
Q1: -9.20%
Min: -34.34%

Largest peers

ISRG: 28.45%
SYK: 13.21%
MDT: 13.20%
ABT: 11.65%
UNH: 3.14%
MCK: 1.18%
CVS: 0.72%

Where UnitedHealth Group (UNH) stands on net margin within its Health Care Equipment & Services peer group — the box is the group’s distribution and the dots its largest members.

Operating Margin (TTM)

UnitedHealth Group (UNH) turns 7.13% of revenue into operating profit, roughly in line with the peer group’s normal operating margin range. Its core cost structure looks typical for the industry.

UNH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

7.13%

Group distribution

Max: 37.54%
Q3: 12.86%
UNH: 7.13%
Median: 5.54%
Q1: -4.10%
Min: -25.61%

Largest peers

ISRG: 33.75%
MDT: 22.05%
SYK: 17.82%
ABT: 14.15%
UNH: 7.13%
CVS: 4.12%
MCK: 2.21%

Where UnitedHealth Group (UNH) stands on operating margin within its Health Care Equipment & Services peer group — the box is the group’s distribution and the dots its largest members.

Profitability Metrics

UnitedHealth Group (UNH) metric values compared with Health Care Equipment & Services industry-group medians
Metric	Current stock: UNH	Industry group median
ROE (TTM)	14.15%	3.71%
ROA (TTM)	4.38%	3.01%
Net Margin (TTM)	3.14%	1.55%
Operating Margin (TTM)	7.13%	5.54%
Gross Margin (TTM)	19.51%	54.20%

Growth

Revenue Growth

UnitedHealth Group (UNH) grew revenue 11.81%, roughly around the peer group's normal range. Top-line momentum looks broadly typical for the industry.

UnitedHealth Group (UNH): Revenue Growth across different time periods, set against Health Care Equipment & Services industry-group medians.

EPS Growth

UnitedHealth Group (UNH) grew earnings per share -14.70%, roughly around the peer group's normal range. Bottom-line momentum looks broadly typical for the industry.

UnitedHealth Group (UNH): EPS Growth across different time periods, set against Health Care Equipment & Services industry-group medians.

Growth Metrics

UnitedHealth Group (UNH) metric values compared with Health Care Equipment & Services industry-group medians
Metric	Current stock: UNH	Industry group median
Revenue Growth (YoY)	11.81%	11.75%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	11.35%	11.37%
EPS Growth (YoY)	-14.70%	4.84%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	-14.52%	13.94%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

UnitedHealth Group (UNH) has current ratio of 0.78, in the tighter-liquidity quartile for its industry. The short-term cushion is thinner than most peers carry, even if the absolute comfort level still depends on the business model.

UNH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.78

Group distribution

Max: 7.79
Q3: 4.32
Median: 2.03
Q1: 1.34
UNH: 0.78
Min: 0.04

Largest peers

ISRG: 6.43
MDT: 2.13
SYK: 2.11
CVS: 0.87
MCK: 0.85
UNH: 0.78
ABT: --

Where UnitedHealth Group (UNH) stands on current ratio within its Health Care Equipment & Services peer group — the box is the group’s distribution and the dots its largest members.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

UnitedHealth Group (UNH) has debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, roughly in line with the peer group’s normal leverage range. Its mix of debt and equity looks typical for the industry.

UNH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.69

Group distribution

Max: 2.02
Q3: 0.99
UNH: 0.69
Median: 0.58
Q1: 0.15
Min: 0.00

Largest peers

CVS: 1.01
UNH: 0.69
SYK: 0.66
ABT: 0.65
MDT: 0.58
ISRG: --
MCK: --

Where UnitedHealth Group (UNH) stands on debt-to-equity ratio within its Health Care Equipment & Services peer group — the box is the group’s distribution and the dots its largest members.

Financial Strength Metrics

UnitedHealth Group (UNH) metric values compared with Health Care Equipment & Services industry-group medians
Metric	Current stock: UNH	Industry group median
Current Ratio (MRQ)	0.78	2.03
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.69	0.58
Net Debt / EBITDA	1.73	2.02

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

UnitedHealth Group (UNH) has dividend yield of 1.05%, above the entire industry range. That headline income is large, but yields this far above peers often come from a falling share price or an at-risk payout, so dividend safety matters more than the percentage itself.

UNH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

1.05%

Group distribution

UNH: 1.05%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Largest peers

MDT: 3.41%
CVS: 2.47%
ABT: 2.44%
SYK: 1.08%
UNH: 1.05%
MCK: 0.38%
ISRG: 0.00%

Where UnitedHealth Group (UNH) stands on dividend yield within its Health Care Equipment & Services peer group — the box is the group’s distribution and the dots its largest members.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

UnitedHealth Group (UNH) has payout ratio of 66.57%, above the peer distribution for its industry. The dividend consumes more reported earnings than peers normally do, leaving unusually thin earnings cover.

UNH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

66.57%

Group distribution

UNH: 66.57%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Largest peers

CVS: 116.67%
ABT: 78.96%
MDT: 76.14%
UNH: 66.57%
SYK: 39.81%
MCK: 8.26%
ISRG: 0.00%

Where UnitedHealth Group (UNH) stands on payout ratio within its Health Care Equipment & Services peer group — the box is the group’s distribution and the dots its largest members.

Dividend Metrics

UnitedHealth Group (UNH) metric values compared with Health Care Equipment & Services industry-group medians
Metric	Current stock: UNH	Industry group median
Dividend Yield (TTM)	1.05%	0.00%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	66.57%	0.00%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

UnitedHealth Group (UNH) trades at P/E ratio of 31.73, near the industry’s usual earnings multiple. The stock is not showing a clear peer discount or premium on trailing earnings.

UNH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

31.73

Group distribution

Max: 73.47
Q3: 45.86
UNH: 31.73
Median: 30.56
Q1: 21.37
Min: 0.91

Largest peers

CVS: 47.26
ISRG: 40.47
SYK: 36.88
ABT: 32.89
UNH: 31.73
MDT: 22.32
MCK: 21.65

Where UnitedHealth Group (UNH) stands on P/E ratio within its Health Care Equipment & Services peer group — the box is the group’s distribution and the dots its largest members.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

UnitedHealth Group (UNH) trades at 0.88 on P/S ratio, in the lower sales-valuation quartile for its industry. That points to a cheaper revenue stream than most peers, with margin quality still doing the heavy lifting.

UNH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.88

Group distribution

Max: 8.58
Q3: 4.23
Median: 2.05
Q1: 1.10
UNH: 0.88
Min: 0.04

Largest peers

ISRG: 11.24
SYK: 4.77
ABT: 3.73
MDT: 2.90
UNH: 0.88
CVS: 0.35
MCK: 0.24

Where UnitedHealth Group (UNH) stands on P/S ratio within its Health Care Equipment & Services peer group — the box is the group’s distribution and the dots its largest members.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

UnitedHealth Group (UNH) trades at 3.78 on P/B ratio, roughly in line with the industry’s normal price-to-book range. Its balance sheet is not being priced at a clear discount or premium versus peers.

UNH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

3.78

Group distribution

Max: 12.13
Q3: 5.82
UNH: 3.78
Median: 2.96
Q1: 1.56
Min: -2.02

Largest peers

ISRG: 7.10
SYK: 5.25
UNH: 3.78
ABT: 3.33
MDT: 2.13
CVS: 1.82
MCK: -45.79

Where UnitedHealth Group (UNH) stands on P/B ratio within its Health Care Equipment & Services peer group — the box is the group’s distribution and the dots its largest members.

Valuation Metrics

UnitedHealth Group (UNH) metric values compared with Health Care Equipment & Services industry-group medians
Metric	Current stock: UNH	Industry group median
P/E Ratio (TTM)	31.73	30.56
P/S Ratio (TTM)	0.88	2.05
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	3.78	2.96
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	5.74%	3.73%