CVS vs. UHS: CVS Health vs. Universal Health Services Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do CVS Health (CVS) and Universal Health Services (UHS) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

CVS Health (CVS) and Universal Health Services (UHS) both belong to the Health Care Providers & Services industry, though CVS is classified under Health Care Services while UHS falls under Health Care Facilities.

Company profile comparison for CVS Health (CVS) and Universal Health Services (UHS)
Profile Item	CVS	UHS
Name	CVS Health Corporation Common Stock	Universal Health Services Inc. Class B Common Stock
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Health Care	Health Care
GICS Industry Group	Health Care Equipment & Services	Health Care Equipment & Services
GICS Industry	Health Care Providers & Services	Health Care Providers & Services
GICS Sub-Industry	Health Care Services	Health Care Facilities
Market Capitalization	107.28 billion USD	11.52 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	February 21, 1973	July 9, 1981
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

CVS

UHS

GSPC

CVS Health (CVS) vs. Universal Health Services (UHS), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

Loading price history…

Trailing total returns for CVS Health (CVS) and Universal Health Services (UHS). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

Loading price history…

Calendar-year total returns for CVS Health (CVS) and Universal Health Services (UHS). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for CVS Health (CVS) and Universal Health Services (UHS)
Metric	CVS	UHS
Total Return (1Y)	11.41%	-12.89%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	12.73%	16.25%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	1.70%	9.70%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

CVS

UHS

GSPC

CVS Health (CVS) vs. Universal Health Services (UHS), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: 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

Loading price history…

Distribution of monthly total returns for CVS Health (CVS) and Universal Health Services (UHS). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for CVS Health (CVS) and Universal Health Services (UHS)
Metric	CVS	UHS
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	34.14%	34.26%
Beta (5Y)	0.60	1.06
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-56.79%	-43.34%
Avg. Volume (3M)	8.60M	707.83K

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

CVS and UHS are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for CVS Health (CVS) and Universal Health Services (UHS)
Metric	CVS	UHS
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.21	-0.50
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	0.28	-0.70

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Universal Health Services (UHS) at 19.74% sits in the top ROE quartile, while CVS Health (CVS) at 14.36% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for UHS.

CVS

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

14.36%

Max: 47.61%
CVS: 14.36%
Q3: 14.36%
Median: 5.45%
Q1: -10.67%
Min: -47.01%

UHS

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

19.74%

Max: 47.61%
UHS: 19.74%
Q3: 14.36%
Median: 5.45%
Q1: -10.67%
Min: -47.01%

CVS Health (CVS) vs. Universal Health Services (UHS): A comparison of their ROE against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Both CVS Health (CVS) at 2.64% and Universal Health Services (UHS) at 7.97% keep about the typical share of revenue as profit for their industries — neither bottom line stands out from peers.

CVS

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

2.64%

Max: 29.35%
Q3: 9.33%
CVS: 2.64%
Median: 2.18%
Q1: -6.29%
Min: -28.46%

UHS

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

7.97%

Max: 29.35%
Q3: 9.33%
UHS: 7.97%
Median: 2.18%
Q1: -6.29%
Min: -28.46%

CVS Health (CVS) vs. Universal Health Services (UHS): A comparison of their net margin against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both CVS Health (CVS) at 2.72% and Universal Health Services (UHS) at 9.60% run core operations about as efficiently as their industries’ norm — neither stands out on operating profitability.

CVS

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

2.72%

Max: 35.43%
Q3: 14.14%
Median: 6.81%
CVS: 2.72%
Q1: -0.28%
Min: -16.29%

UHS

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

9.60%

Max: 35.43%
Q3: 14.14%
UHS: 9.60%
Median: 6.81%
Q1: -0.28%
Min: -16.29%

CVS Health (CVS) vs. Universal Health Services (UHS): A comparison of their operating margin against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for CVS Health (CVS) and Universal Health Services (UHS)
Metric	CVS	UHS
ROE (TTM)	14.36%	19.74%
ROA (TTM)	3.11%	7.65%
Net Margin (TTM)	2.64%	7.97%
Operating Margin (TTM)	2.72%	9.60%
Gross Margin (TTM)	13.72%	44.51%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both CVS Health (CVS) at 7.85% and Universal Health Services (UHS) at 9.71% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

CVS Health (CVS) vs. Universal Health Services (UHS): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Universal Health Services (UHS) at 37.34% sits in the top EPS growth quartile, while CVS Health (CVS) at -62.02% is in the bottom quartile, showing a clear gap in earnings momentum.

CVS Health (CVS) vs. Universal Health Services (UHS): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for CVS Health (CVS) and Universal Health Services (UHS)
Metric	CVS	UHS
Revenue Growth (YoY)	7.85%	9.71%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	7.63%	9.03%
EPS Growth (YoY)	-62.02%	37.34%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	-24.73%	36.21%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Universal Health Services (UHS) at 1.37 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while CVS Health (CVS) at 0.85 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for CVS.

CVS

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.85

Max: 7.59
Q3: 4.00
Median: 1.98
Q1: 1.37
CVS: 0.85
Min: 0.30

UHS

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

1.37

Max: 7.59
Q3: 4.00
Median: 1.98
UHS: 1.37
Q1: 1.37
Min: 0.30

CVS Health (CVS) vs. Universal Health Services (UHS): A comparison of their current ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Universal Health Services (UHS) at 0.80 carries an industry-typical debt-to-equity mix, while CVS Health (CVS) at 0.93 uses more debt funding than most peers.

CVS

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.93

Max: 1.88
CVS: 0.93
Q3: 0.91
Median: 0.58
Q1: 0.16
Min: 0.00

UHS

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.80

Max: 1.88
Q3: 0.91
UHS: 0.80
Median: 0.58
Q1: 0.16
Min: 0.00

CVS Health (CVS) vs. Universal Health Services (UHS): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for CVS Health (CVS) and Universal Health Services (UHS)
Metric	CVS	UHS
Current Ratio (MRQ)	0.85	1.37
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.93	0.80
Net Debt / EBITDA	3.49	2.27

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both CVS Health (CVS) at 3.27% and Universal Health Services (UHS) at 0.10% yield above their industries’ entire benchmark ranges — high enough that dividend safety, not income, becomes the first question.

CVS

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

3.27%

CVS: 3.27%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

UHS

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.10%

UHS: 0.10%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

CVS Health (CVS) vs. Universal Health Services (UHS): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both CVS Health (CVS) at 30.89% and Universal Health Services (UHS) at 3.35% pay out more of their earnings than any of their industry peers — the thinnest cover in their groups, so dividend headroom deserves attention.

CVS

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

30.89%

CVS: 30.89%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

UHS

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

3.35%

UHS: 3.35%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

CVS Health (CVS) vs. Universal Health Services (UHS): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for CVS Health (CVS) and Universal Health Services (UHS)
Metric	CVS	UHS
Dividend Yield (TTM)	3.27%	0.10%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	30.89%	3.35%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both CVS Health (CVS) at 9.74 and Universal Health Services (UHS) at 8.18 sit in the cheaper earnings-multiple quartile for P/E ratio, with the market paying less for a dollar of trailing earnings than it pays for typical peers.

CVS

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

9.74

Max: 80.41
Q3: 47.62
Median: 29.93
Q1: 21.19
CVS: 9.74
Min: 4.21

UHS

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

8.18

Max: 80.41
Q3: 47.62
Median: 29.93
Q1: 21.19
UHS: 8.18
Min: 4.21

CVS Health (CVS) vs. Universal Health Services (UHS): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Both CVS Health (CVS) at 0.26 and Universal Health Services (UHS) at 0.63 fetch a relatively low price per dollar of sales, landing in the cheaper P/S ratio quartile of their industries.

CVS

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.26

Max: 8.80
Q3: 4.32
Median: 2.13
Q1: 1.10
CVS: 0.26
Min: 0.03

UHS

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.63

Max: 8.80
Q3: 4.32
Median: 2.13
Q1: 1.10
UHS: 0.63
Min: 0.03

CVS Health (CVS) vs. Universal Health Services (UHS): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Relative to net asset value, both CVS Health (CVS) at 1.33 and Universal Health Services (UHS) at 1.51 look inexpensive, sitting in the lower P/B ratio quartile of their industries.

CVS

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

1.33

Max: 11.68
Q3: 6.12
Median: 3.00
Q1: 1.73
CVS: 1.33
Min: -1.31

UHS

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

1.51

Max: 11.68
Q3: 6.12
Median: 3.00
Q1: 1.73
UHS: 1.51
Min: -1.31

CVS Health (CVS) vs. Universal Health Services (UHS): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for CVS Health (CVS) and Universal Health Services (UHS)
Metric	CVS	UHS
P/E Ratio (TTM)	9.74	8.18
P/S Ratio (TTM)	0.26	0.63
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	1.33	1.51
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	11.02%	6.47%