HUM vs. UNH: Humana vs. UnitedHealth Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Humana (HUM) 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

Humana (HUM) and UnitedHealth (UNH) are both classified in the Managed Health Care sub-industry within the broader Health Care Providers & Services industry, placing them in the closest GICS peer bucket.

Company profile comparison for Humana (HUM) and UnitedHealth (UNH)
Profile Item	HUM	UNH
Name	Humana 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	Managed Health Care	Managed Health Care
Market Capitalization	52.09 billion USD	353.17 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	December 31, 1981	October 17, 1984
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

HUM

UNH

GSPC

Humana (HUM) 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 Humana (HUM) and UnitedHealth (UNH). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Humana (HUM) and UnitedHealth (UNH)
Metric	HUM	UNH
Total Return (1Y)	75.62%	26.08%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	-2.91%	-7.69%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	0.40%	-1.26%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

HUM

UNH

GSPC

Humana (HUM) 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 Humana (HUM) and UnitedHealth (UNH). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Humana (HUM) and UnitedHealth (UNH)
Metric	HUM	UNH
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	45.95%	34.76%
Beta (5Y)	0.62	0.52
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-69.92%	-61.39%
Avg. Volume (3M)	1.26M	5.13M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

HUM 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 Humana (HUM) and UnitedHealth (UNH)
Metric	HUM	UNH
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	1.55	0.63
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	2.28	0.86

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

UnitedHealth (UNH) at 15.77% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Humana (HUM) at 6.74% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for UNH.

HUM

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

6.74%

Max: 47.61%
Q3: 14.36%
HUM: 6.74%
Median: 5.45%
Q1: -10.67%
Min: -47.01%

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%

Humana (HUM) vs. UnitedHealth (UNH): A comparison of their ROE against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Both Humana (HUM) at 0.81% and UnitedHealth (UNH) at 3.53% keep about the typical share of revenue as profit for their industries — neither bottom line stands out from peers.

HUM

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.81%

Max: 29.35%
Q3: 9.33%
Median: 2.18%
HUM: 0.81%
Q1: -6.29%
Min: -28.46%

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%

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

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Humana (HUM) at 0.24% and UnitedHealth (UNH) at 5.82% run core operations about as efficiently as their industries’ norm — neither stands out on operating profitability.

HUM

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.24%

Max: 35.43%
Q3: 14.14%
Median: 6.81%
HUM: 0.24%
Q1: -0.28%
Min: -16.29%

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%

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

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Humana (HUM) and UnitedHealth (UNH)
Metric	HUM	UNH
ROE (TTM)	6.74%	15.77%
ROA (TTM)	3.24%	5.24%
Net Margin (TTM)	0.81%	3.53%
Operating Margin (TTM)	0.24%	5.82%
Gross Margin (TTM)	13.01%	20.05%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Humana (HUM) at 10.11% and UnitedHealth (UNH) at 11.81% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Humana (HUM) vs. UnitedHealth (UNH): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both Humana (HUM) at -1.40% and UnitedHealth (UNH) at -14.70% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Humana (HUM) vs. UnitedHealth (UNH): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Humana (HUM) and UnitedHealth (UNH)
Metric	HUM	UNH
Revenue Growth (YoY)	10.11%	11.81%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	11.77%	11.35%
EPS Growth (YoY)	-1.40%	-14.70%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	-23.62%	-14.52%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Humana (HUM) at 1.65 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.

HUM

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

1.65

Max: 7.59
Q3: 4.00
Median: 1.98
HUM: 1.65
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

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

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Humana (HUM) at 0.68 and UnitedHealth (UNH) at 0.70 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

HUM

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.68

Max: 1.88
Q3: 0.91
HUM: 0.68
Median: 0.58
Q1: 0.16
Min: 0.00

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

Humana (HUM) vs. UnitedHealth (UNH): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Humana (HUM) and UnitedHealth (UNH)
Metric	HUM	UNH
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.65	0.74
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.68	0.70
Net Debt / EBITDA	-4.10	1.58

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Humana (HUM) at 0.21% and UnitedHealth (UNH) at 2.29% yield above their industries’ entire benchmark ranges — high enough that dividend safety, not income, becomes the first question.

HUM

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.21%

HUM: 0.21%
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%

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

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both Humana (HUM) at 34.54% and UnitedHealth (UNH) at 51.71% pay out more of their earnings than any of their industry peers — the thinnest cover in their groups, so dividend headroom deserves attention.

HUM

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

34.54%

HUM: 34.54%
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%

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

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Humana (HUM) and UnitedHealth (UNH)
Metric	HUM	UNH
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.21%	2.29%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	34.54%	51.71%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Humana (HUM) at 42.32 and UnitedHealth (UNH) at 22.50 land around their industries’ usual P/E ratio levels — neither is getting a clear earnings-multiple discount or premium versus peers.

HUM

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

42.32

Max: 80.41
Q3: 47.62
HUM: 42.32
Median: 29.93
Q1: 21.19
Min: 4.21

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

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

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Both Humana (HUM) at 0.34 and UnitedHealth (UNH) at 0.78 fetch a relatively low price per dollar of sales, landing in the cheaper P/S ratio quartile of their industries.

HUM

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.34

Max: 8.80
Q3: 4.32
Median: 2.13
Q1: 1.10
HUM: 0.34
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

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

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

On P/B ratio, both Humana (HUM) at 2.77 and UnitedHealth (UNH) at 3.60 are valued close to their industries’ norm against book — neither stands out from peers.

HUM

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

2.77

Max: 11.68
Q3: 6.12
Median: 3.00
HUM: 2.77
Q1: 1.73
Min: -1.31

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

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

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Humana (HUM) and UnitedHealth (UNH)
Metric	HUM	UNH
P/E Ratio (TTM)	42.32	22.50
P/S Ratio (TTM)	0.34	0.78
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	2.77	3.60
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	6.27%	7.50%