GH vs. UNH: Guardant Health vs. UnitedHealth Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Guardant Health (GH) and UnitedHealth (UNH) 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

Guardant Health (GH) and UnitedHealth (UNH) both belong to the Health Care Providers & Services industry, though GH is classified under Health Care Services while UNH falls under Managed Health Care.

Company profile comparison for Guardant Health (GH) and UnitedHealth (UNH)
Profile Item	GH	UNH
Name	Guardant Health, Inc.	UnitedHealth Group Inc.
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	Managed Health Care
Market Capitalization	20.41 billion USD	353.17 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	Nasdaq	NYSE
Listing Date	October 4, 2018	October 17, 1984
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

UNH

GSPC

Guardant Health (GH) vs. UnitedHealth (UNH), 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

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Trailing total returns for Guardant Health (GH) and UnitedHealth (UNH). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Guardant Health (GH) and UnitedHealth (UNH). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Guardant Health (GH) and UnitedHealth (UNH)
Metric	GH	UNH
Total Return (1Y)	66.53%	26.08%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	92.76%	-7.69%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	8.36%	-1.26%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

UNH

GSPC

Guardant Health (GH) vs. UnitedHealth (UNH), 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

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Distribution of monthly total returns for Guardant Health (GH) and UnitedHealth (UNH). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Guardant Health (GH) has an aggressive beta of 1.69, indicating higher sensitivity to broad-market moves, while UnitedHealth (UNH) is defensive at 0.52 and tends to be less market-sensitive — they sit on opposite ends of the beta spectrum.

Risk profile metrics for Guardant Health (GH) and UnitedHealth (UNH)
Metric	GH	UNH
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	53.23%	34.76%
Beta (5Y)	1.69	0.52
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-85.09%	-61.39%
Avg. Volume (3M)	1.97M	5.13M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

GH and UNH 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 Guardant Health (GH) and UnitedHealth (UNH)
Metric	GH	UNH
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	1.17	0.63
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	1.84	0.86

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Capital efficiency shows on one side only: UnitedHealth (UNH) earns 15.77% on shareholders’ equity, ranked against its industry; Guardant Health (GH) has no ROE this period.

GH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

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

UNH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

15.77%

Max: 47.61%
UNH: 15.77%
Q3: 14.36%
Median: 5.45%
Q1: -10.67%
Min: -47.01%

Guardant Health (GH) vs. UnitedHealth (UNH): GH does not report ROE, so it has no value marker; UNH is benchmarked against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group.

Net Margin (TTM)

Guardant Health (GH) reports a negative net margin of -37.93%, usually indicating a net loss over the period. Meanwhile UnitedHealth (UNH) reports 3.53%, ranking against industry peers normally.

GH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

-37.93%

Max: 29.35%
Q3: 9.33%
Median: 2.18%
Q1: -6.29%
Min: -28.46%
GH: -37.93%

UNH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

3.53%

Max: 29.35%
Q3: 9.33%
UNH: 3.53%
Median: 2.18%
Q1: -6.29%
Min: -28.46%

Guardant Health (GH) vs. UnitedHealth (UNH): A comparison of their net margin against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Guardant Health (GH) reports a negative operating margin of -37.06%, usually indicating that operating costs exceeded revenue at the operating-income line. Meanwhile UnitedHealth (UNH) reports 5.82%, ranking against industry peers normally.

GH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

-37.06%

Max: 35.43%
Q3: 14.14%
Median: 6.81%
Q1: -0.28%
Min: -16.29%
GH: -37.06%

UNH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

5.82%

Max: 35.43%
Q3: 14.14%
Median: 6.81%
UNH: 5.82%
Q1: -0.28%
Min: -16.29%

Guardant Health (GH) vs. UnitedHealth (UNH): A comparison of their operating margin against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Guardant Health (GH) and UnitedHealth (UNH)
Metric	GH	UNH
ROE (TTM)	--	15.77%
ROA (TTM)	-19.92%	5.24%
Net Margin (TTM)	-37.93%	3.53%
Operating Margin (TTM)	-37.06%	5.82%
Gross Margin (TTM)	65.19%	20.05%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Guardant Health (GH) at 32.88% sits in the top revenue growth quartile, while UnitedHealth (UNH) at 11.81% is closer to the peer norm — faster top-line expansion for GH.

Guardant Health (GH) vs. UnitedHealth (UNH): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Only one side can be read here: UnitedHealth (UNH) reports EPS growth of -14.70%, ranked against its industry; Guardant Health (GH) has no EPS growth figure this period.

Guardant Health (GH) vs. UnitedHealth (UNH): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Guardant Health (GH) and UnitedHealth (UNH)
Metric	GH	UNH
Revenue Growth (YoY)	32.88%	11.81%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	29.75%	11.35%
EPS Growth (YoY)	--	-14.70%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	--	-14.52%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Guardant Health (GH) at 3.60 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while UnitedHealth (UNH) at 0.74 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for UNH.

GH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

3.60

Max: 7.59
Q3: 4.00
GH: 3.60
Median: 1.98
Q1: 1.37
Min: 0.30

UNH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.74

Max: 7.59
Q3: 4.00
Median: 1.98
Q1: 1.37
UNH: 0.74
Min: 0.30

Guardant Health (GH) vs. UnitedHealth (UNH): A comparison of their current ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Only one side’s leverage can be read here: UnitedHealth (UNH) carries debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70 against its industry range, while Guardant Health (GH) reports no figure this period.

GH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

Max: 1.88
Q3: 0.91
Median: 0.58
Q1: 0.16
Min: 0.00
GH: --

UNH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.70

Max: 1.88
Q3: 0.91
UNH: 0.70
Median: 0.58
Q1: 0.16
Min: 0.00

Guardant Health (GH) vs. UnitedHealth (UNH): GH does not report debt-to-equity ratio, so it has no value marker; UNH is benchmarked against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Guardant Health (GH) and UnitedHealth (UNH)
Metric	GH	UNH
Current Ratio (MRQ)	3.60	0.74
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	--	0.70
Net Debt / EBITDA	--	1.58

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Guardant Health (GH) pays no dividend (yield 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile UnitedHealth (UNH) reports a yield of 2.29%, ranking against industry peers normally.

GH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.00%

GH: 0.00%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

UNH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

2.29%

UNH: 2.29%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Guardant Health (GH) vs. UnitedHealth (UNH): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Guardant Health (GH) pays no dividend (payout 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile UnitedHealth (UNH) reports a payout of 51.71%, ranking against industry peers normally.

GH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.00%

GH: 0.00%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

UNH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

51.71%

UNH: 51.71%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Guardant Health (GH) vs. UnitedHealth (UNH): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Guardant Health (GH) and UnitedHealth (UNH)
Metric	GH	UNH
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.00%	2.29%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	0.00%	51.71%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

An earnings multiple is available for just one side: UnitedHealth (UNH) trades at 22.50 times trailing earnings, ranked against its peers, while Guardant Health (GH) has no P/E ratio this period.

GH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

Max: 80.41
Q3: 47.62
Median: 29.93
Q1: 21.19
Min: 4.21
GH: --

UNH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

22.50

Max: 80.41
Q3: 47.62
Median: 29.93
UNH: 22.50
Q1: 21.19
Min: 4.21

Guardant Health (GH) vs. UnitedHealth (UNH): GH does not report P/E ratio, so it has no value marker; UNH is benchmarked against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

UnitedHealth (UNH) at 0.78 sits in the cheaper P/S ratio quartile while Guardant Health (GH) at 15.96 prices above its industry range — a wide gap in sales valuation between them.

GH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

15.96

GH: 15.96
Max: 8.80
Q3: 4.32
Median: 2.13
Q1: 1.10
Min: 0.03

UNH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.78

Max: 8.80
Q3: 4.32
Median: 2.13
Q1: 1.10
UNH: 0.78
Min: 0.03

Guardant Health (GH) vs. UnitedHealth (UNH): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Guardant Health (GH) reports a negative P/B ratio of -73.67, meaning negative book equity — the multiple itself is not meaningful for valuation. Meanwhile UnitedHealth (UNH) reports 3.60, ranking against industry peers normally.

GH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

-73.67

Max: 11.68
Q3: 6.12
Median: 3.00
Q1: 1.73
Min: -1.31
GH: -73.67

UNH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

3.60

Max: 11.68
Q3: 6.12
UNH: 3.60
Median: 3.00
Q1: 1.73
Min: -1.31

Guardant Health (GH) vs. UnitedHealth (UNH): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Guardant Health (GH) and UnitedHealth (UNH)
Metric	GH	UNH
P/E Ratio (TTM)	--	22.50
P/S Ratio (TTM)	15.96	0.78
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	-73.67	3.60
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	-0.30%	7.50%