ISRG vs. UNH: Intuitive Surgical vs. UnitedHealth Group Stock Comparison

August 16, 2026

How do Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) and UnitedHealth Group (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

Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) and UnitedHealth Group (UNH) both fall under the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group, but ISRG is classified in Health Care Equipment & Supplies while UNH is classified in Health Care Providers & Services.

Company profile comparison for Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) and UnitedHealth Group (UNH)
Profile Item	ISRG	UNH
Name	Intuitive Surgical, Inc.	UnitedHealth Group Incorporated
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	141.34 billion USD	360.59 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	Nasdaq	NYSE
Listing Date	June 16, 2000	October 17, 1984
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

ISRG

UNH

GSPC

Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) vs. UnitedHealth Group (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 Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) and UnitedHealth Group (UNH). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) and UnitedHealth Group (UNH). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) and UnitedHealth Group (UNH)
Metric	ISRG	UNH
Total Return (1Y)	-17.31%	51.94%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	8.95%	-5.82%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	3.36%	1.37%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

ISRG

UNH

GSPC

Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) vs. UnitedHealth Group (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 Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) and UnitedHealth Group (UNH). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) has an aggressive beta of 1.48, indicating higher sensitivity to broad-market moves, while UnitedHealth Group (UNH) is defensive at 0.61 and tends to be less market-sensitive — they sit on opposite ends of the beta spectrum.

Risk profile metrics for Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) and UnitedHealth Group (UNH)
Metric	ISRG	UNH
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	36.70%	37.43%
Beta (5Y)	1.48	0.61
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-49.90%	-61.39%
Avg. Volume (3M)	3.09M	6.03M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

ISRG 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 Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) and UnitedHealth Group (UNH)
Metric	ISRG	UNH
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	-0.58	1.28
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	-0.82	1.87

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) at 17.42% sits in the top ROE quartile, while UnitedHealth Group (UNH) at 14.15% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for ISRG.

ISRG

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

17.42%

Max: 47.06%
ISRG: 17.42%
Q3: 14.60%
Median: 4.59%
Q1: -14.37%
Min: -56.60%

UNH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

14.15%

Max: 47.06%
Q3: 14.60%
UNH: 14.15%
Median: 4.59%
Q1: -14.37%
Min: -56.60%

Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) vs. UnitedHealth Group (UNH): A comparison of their ROE against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) at 28.45% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of UnitedHealth Group (UNH) at 3.14%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

ISRG

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

28.45%

ISRG: 28.45%
Max: 28.45%
Q3: 9.22%
Median: 1.85%
Q1: -7.13%
Min: -30.69%

UNH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

3.14%

Max: 28.45%
Q3: 9.22%
UNH: 3.14%
Median: 1.85%
Q1: -7.13%
Min: -30.69%

Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) vs. UnitedHealth Group (UNH): A comparison of their net margin against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) at 33.60% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of UnitedHealth Group (UNH) at 7.13%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

ISRG

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

33.60%

Max: 38.55%
ISRG: 33.60%
Q3: 14.43%
Median: 7.25%
Q1: -2.09%
Min: -24.66%

UNH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

7.13%

Max: 38.55%
Q3: 14.43%
Median: 7.25%
UNH: 7.13%
Q1: -2.09%
Min: -24.66%

Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) vs. UnitedHealth Group (UNH): A comparison of their operating margin against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) and UnitedHealth Group (UNH)
Metric	ISRG	UNH
ROE (TTM)	17.42%	14.15%
ROA (TTM)	10.51%	4.87%
Net Margin (TTM)	28.45%	3.14%
Operating Margin (TTM)	33.60%	7.13%
Gross Margin (TTM)	66.68%	19.72%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) at 20.51% sits in the top revenue growth quartile, while UnitedHealth Group (UNH) at 11.81% is closer to the peer norm — faster top-line expansion for ISRG.

Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) vs. UnitedHealth Group (UNH): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) at 22.59% and UnitedHealth Group (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.

Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) vs. UnitedHealth Group (UNH): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) and UnitedHealth Group (UNH)
Metric	ISRG	UNH
Revenue Growth (YoY)	20.51%	11.81%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	17.39%	11.35%
EPS Growth (YoY)	22.59%	-14.70%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	29.19%	-14.52%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) at 4.96 carries current ratio above its industry’s typical mid-range, while UnitedHealth Group (UNH) at 0.78 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — different working-capital profiles, both worth examining.

ISRG

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

4.96

Max: 8.18
ISRG: 4.96
Q3: 4.20
Median: 1.99
Q1: 1.34
Min: 0.15

UNH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.78

Max: 8.18
Q3: 4.20
Median: 1.99
Q1: 1.34
UNH: 0.78
Min: 0.15

Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) vs. UnitedHealth Group (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 Group (UNH) carries debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69 against its industry range, while Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) reports no figure this period.

ISRG

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

Max: 2.02
Q3: 1.01
Median: 0.63
Q1: 0.15
Min: 0.00
ISRG: --

UNH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.69

Max: 2.02
Q3: 1.01
UNH: 0.69
Median: 0.63
Q1: 0.15
Min: 0.00

Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) vs. UnitedHealth Group (UNH): ISRG 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 Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) and UnitedHealth Group (UNH)
Metric	ISRG	UNH
Current Ratio (MRQ)	4.96	0.78
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	--	0.69
Net Debt / EBITDA	-1.25	1.57

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) pays no dividend (yield 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile UnitedHealth Group (UNH) reports a yield of 2.24%, ranking against industry peers normally.

ISRG

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.00%

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

UNH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

2.24%

UNH: 2.24%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) vs. UnitedHealth Group (UNH): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) pays no dividend (payout 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile UnitedHealth Group (UNH) reports a payout of 57.52%, ranking against industry peers normally.

ISRG

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.00%

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

UNH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

57.52%

UNH: 57.52%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) vs. UnitedHealth Group (UNH): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) and UnitedHealth Group (UNH)
Metric	ISRG	UNH
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.00%	2.24%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	0.00%	57.52%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

UnitedHealth Group (UNH) at 25.83 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) at 46.09 sits in the richer quartile — ISRG needs stronger growth or earnings quality to justify the premium.

ISRG

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

46.09

Max: 76.75
ISRG: 46.09
Q3: 44.61
Median: 28.57
Q1: 20.73
Min: 1.62

UNH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

25.83

Max: 76.75
Q3: 44.61
Median: 28.57
UNH: 25.83
Q1: 20.73
Min: 1.62

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

P/S Ratio (TTM)

UnitedHealth Group (UNH) at 0.80 sits in the cheaper P/S ratio quartile while Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) at 12.81 prices above its industry range — a wide gap in sales valuation between them.

ISRG

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

12.81

ISRG: 12.81
Max: 9.63
Q3: 4.61
Median: 2.28
Q1: 1.15
Min: 0.04

UNH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.80

Max: 9.63
Q3: 4.61
Median: 2.28
Q1: 1.15
UNH: 0.80
Min: 0.04

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

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

UnitedHealth Group (UNH) at 3.48 is valued about in line with its industry on P/B ratio, while Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) at 7.68 carries an above-peer premium to book — ISRG is pricier on assets.

ISRG

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

7.68

Max: 12.92
ISRG: 7.68
Q3: 6.30
Median: 3.18
Q1: 1.75
Min: -2.19

UNH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

3.48

Max: 12.92
Q3: 6.30
UNH: 3.48
Median: 3.18
Q1: 1.75
Min: -2.19

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

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) and UnitedHealth Group (UNH)
Metric	ISRG	UNH
P/E Ratio (TTM)	46.09	25.83
P/S Ratio (TTM)	12.81	0.80
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	7.68	3.48
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	1.85%	6.73%