IDXX vs. UNH: IDEXX Laboratories vs. UnitedHealth Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do IDEXX Laboratories (IDXX) 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

IDEXX Laboratories (IDXX) and UnitedHealth (UNH) both fall under the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group, but IDXX is classified in Health Care Equipment & Supplies while UNH is classified in Health Care Providers & Services.

Company profile comparison for IDEXX Laboratories (IDXX) and UnitedHealth (UNH)
Profile Item	IDXX	UNH
Name	IDEXX Laboratories, 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 Equipment & Supplies	Health Care Providers & Services
GICS Sub-Industry	Health Care Equipment	Managed Health Care
Market Capitalization	53.26 billion USD	353.17 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	Nasdaq	NYSE
Listing Date	June 21, 1991	October 17, 1984
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

IDXX

UNH

GSPC

IDEXX Laboratories (IDXX) 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

Loading price history…

Trailing total returns for IDEXX Laboratories (IDXX) and UnitedHealth (UNH). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

Loading price history…

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for IDEXX Laboratories (IDXX) and UnitedHealth (UNH)
Metric	IDXX	UNH
Total Return (1Y)	-1.84%	26.08%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	18.42%	-7.69%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	2.02%	-1.26%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

IDXX

UNH

GSPC

IDEXX Laboratories (IDXX) 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

Loading price history…

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

Risk Metrics

IDEXX Laboratories (IDXX) has an aggressive beta of 1.44, 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 IDEXX Laboratories (IDXX) and UnitedHealth (UNH)
Metric	IDXX	UNH
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	37.02%	34.76%
Beta (5Y)	1.44	0.52
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-50.91%	-61.39%
Avg. Volume (3M)	564.80K	5.13M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

IDXX 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 IDEXX Laboratories (IDXX) and UnitedHealth (UNH)
Metric	IDXX	UNH
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	-0.17	0.63
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	-0.28	0.86

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both companies show strong equity returns, but IDEXX Laboratories (IDXX) at 68.93% is the standout with ROE above its industry range; UnitedHealth (UNH) at 15.77% also sits in the top quartile.

IDXX

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

68.93%

IDXX: 68.93%
Max: 47.61%
Q3: 14.36%
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%

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

Net Margin (TTM)

IDEXX Laboratories (IDXX) at 25.36% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of UnitedHealth (UNH) at 3.53%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

IDXX

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

25.36%

Max: 29.35%
IDXX: 25.36%
Q3: 9.33%
Median: 2.18%
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%

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

Operating Margin (TTM)

IDEXX Laboratories (IDXX) at 33.14% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of UnitedHealth (UNH) at 5.82%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

IDXX

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

33.14%

Max: 35.43%
IDXX: 33.14%
Q3: 14.14%
Median: 6.81%
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%

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

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for IDEXX Laboratories (IDXX) and UnitedHealth (UNH)
Metric	IDXX	UNH
ROE (TTM)	68.93%	15.77%
ROA (TTM)	26.70%	5.24%
Net Margin (TTM)	25.36%	3.53%
Operating Margin (TTM)	33.14%	5.82%
Gross Margin (TTM)	62.72%	20.05%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both IDEXX Laboratories (IDXX) at 10.42% 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.

IDEXX Laboratories (IDXX) vs. UnitedHealth (UNH): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both IDEXX Laboratories (IDXX) at 22.59% 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.

IDEXX Laboratories (IDXX) vs. UnitedHealth (UNH): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for IDEXX Laboratories (IDXX) and UnitedHealth (UNH)
Metric	IDXX	UNH
Revenue Growth (YoY)	10.42%	11.81%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	8.52%	11.35%
EPS Growth (YoY)	22.59%	-14.70%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	17.66%	-14.52%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both IDEXX Laboratories (IDXX) at 1.19 and UnitedHealth (UNH) at 0.74 run current ratio in the tighter-liquidity quartile of industry peers, leaving thinner cushions against current liabilities than typical competitors.

IDXX

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

1.19

Max: 7.59
Q3: 4.00
Median: 1.98
Q1: 1.37
IDXX: 1.19
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

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

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both IDEXX Laboratories (IDXX) at 0.52 and UnitedHealth (UNH) at 0.70 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

IDXX

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.52

Max: 1.88
Q3: 0.91
Median: 0.58
IDXX: 0.52
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

IDEXX Laboratories (IDXX) 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 IDEXX Laboratories (IDXX) and UnitedHealth (UNH)
Metric	IDXX	UNH
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.19	0.74
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.52	0.70
Net Debt / EBITDA	0.46	1.58

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

IDEXX Laboratories (IDXX) 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.

IDXX

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.00%

IDXX: 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%

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

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

IDEXX Laboratories (IDXX) 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.

IDXX

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.00%

IDXX: 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%

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

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for IDEXX Laboratories (IDXX) and UnitedHealth (UNH)
Metric	IDXX	UNH
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.00%	2.29%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	0.00%	51.71%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both IDEXX Laboratories (IDXX) at 45.56 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.

IDXX

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

45.56

Max: 80.41
Q3: 47.62
IDXX: 45.56
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

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

P/S Ratio (TTM)

UnitedHealth (UNH) at 0.78 sits in the cheaper P/S ratio quartile while IDEXX Laboratories (IDXX) at 11.42 prices above its industry range — a wide gap in sales valuation between them.

IDXX

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

11.42

IDXX: 11.42
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

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

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

UnitedHealth (UNH) at 3.60 sits near its industry’s typical P/B ratio, while IDEXX Laboratories (IDXX) at 28.50 prices above its benchmark range — IDXX looks rich relative to book.

IDXX

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

28.50

IDXX: 28.50
Max: 11.68
Q3: 6.12
Median: 3.00
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

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

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for IDEXX Laboratories (IDXX) and UnitedHealth (UNH)
Metric	IDXX	UNH
P/E Ratio (TTM)	45.56	22.50
P/S Ratio (TTM)	11.42	0.78
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	28.50	3.60
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	2.00%	7.50%