MCK vs. UNH: McKesson vs. UnitedHealth Group Stock Comparison

June 13, 2026

This page compares McKesson (MCK) with UnitedHealth Group (UNH) using performance and risk, profitability, financial strength, growth, dividends, and valuation metrics.

Performance

Cumulative Growth

MCK

UNH

McKesson (MCK) vs. UnitedHealth Group (UNH): 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 McKesson (MCK) and UnitedHealth Group (UNH). Returns over one year are annualized.

Performance at a Glance

Performance metrics for McKesson (MCK) and UnitedHealth Group (UNH)
Metric	MCK	UNH
1-Year Return	7.72%	31.88%

Risk

Drawdown

MCK

UNH

McKesson (MCK) vs. UnitedHealth Group (UNH): Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Risk at a Glance

Risk metrics for McKesson (MCK) and UnitedHealth Group (UNH)
Metric	MCK	UNH
1-Year Volatility	29.15%	40.11%
Beta	0.30	0.62
3-Month Avg. Volume	1.01M	8.18M

Company Profile

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

Company profile comparison for McKesson (MCK) and UnitedHealth Group (UNH)
Profile Item	MCK	UNH
Name	McKesson Corporation	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 Providers & Services	Health Care Providers & Services
GICS Sub-Industry	Health Care Distributors	Managed Health Care
Market Capitalization	94.25 billion USD	371.00 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	November 10, 1994	October 17, 1984
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Valuation

Price-to-Earnings Ratio (TTM)

Both McKesson (MCK) at 20.41 and UnitedHealth Group (UNH) at 30.76 land around their industries’ usual P/E ratio levels — neither is getting a clear earnings-multiple discount or premium versus peers.

MCK

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

20.41

Max: 80.40
Q3: 44.58
Median: 28.09
MCK: 20.41
Q1: 19.76
Min: 0.91

UNH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

30.76

Max: 80.40
Q3: 44.58
UNH: 30.76
Median: 28.09
Q1: 19.76
Min: 0.91

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

Price-to-Sales Ratio (TTM)

Both McKesson (MCK) at 0.23 and UnitedHealth Group (UNH) at 0.82 fetch a relatively low price per dollar of sales, landing in the cheaper P/S ratio quartile of their industries.

MCK

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.23

Max: 8.62
Q3: 4.20
Median: 1.94
Q1: 1.01
MCK: 0.23
Min: 0.04

UNH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.82

Max: 8.62
Q3: 4.20
Median: 1.94
Q1: 1.01
UNH: 0.82
Min: 0.04

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

Price-to-Book Ratio (MRQ)

McKesson (MCK) reports a negative P/B ratio of -43.32, meaning negative book equity — the multiple itself is not meaningful for valuation. Meanwhile UnitedHealth Group (UNH) reports 3.79, ranking against industry peers normally.

MCK

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

-43.32

Max: 11.03
Q3: 5.50
Median: 2.78
Q1: 1.47
Min: -2.18
MCK: -43.32

UNH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

3.79

Max: 11.03
Q3: 5.50
UNH: 3.79
Median: 2.78
Q1: 1.47
Min: -2.18

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

Valuation at a Glance

Valuation metrics for McKesson (MCK) and UnitedHealth Group (UNH)
Metric	MCK	UNH
Price-to-Earnings Ratio (TTM)	20.41	30.76
Price-to-Sales Ratio (TTM)	0.23	0.82
Price-to-Book Ratio (MRQ)	-43.32	3.79
Free Cash Flow Yield	6.00%	4.77%

Profitability

Return on Equity (TTM)

Capital efficiency shows on one side only: UnitedHealth Group (UNH) earns 12.18% on shareholders’ equity, ranked against its industry; McKesson (MCK) has no ROE this period.

MCK

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

Max: 53.65%
Q3: 12.73%
Median: 3.57%
Q1: -17.96%
Min: -59.21%
MCK: --

UNH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

12.18%

Max: 53.65%
Q3: 12.73%
UNH: 12.18%
Median: 3.57%
Q1: -17.96%
Min: -59.21%

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

Net Profit Margin (TTM)

Both McKesson (MCK) at 1.18% and UnitedHealth Group (UNH) at 2.68% keep about the typical share of revenue as profit for their industries — neither bottom line stands out from peers.

MCK

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

1.18%

Max: 30.40%
Q3: 7.96%
Median: 1.27%
MCK: 1.18%
Q1: -9.77%
Min: -34.34%

UNH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

2.68%

Max: 30.40%
Q3: 7.96%
UNH: 2.68%
Median: 1.27%
Q1: -9.77%
Min: -34.34%

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

Operating Profit Margin (TTM)

Both McKesson (MCK) at 2.21% and UnitedHealth Group (UNH) at 8.05% run core operations about as efficiently as their industries’ norm — neither stands out on operating profitability.

MCK

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

2.21%

Max: 35.33%
Q3: 11.89%
Median: 5.44%
MCK: 2.21%
Q1: -4.59%
Min: -25.61%

UNH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

8.05%

Max: 35.33%
Q3: 11.89%
UNH: 8.05%
Median: 5.44%
Q1: -4.59%
Min: -25.61%

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

Profitability at a Glance

Profitability metrics for McKesson (MCK) and UnitedHealth Group (UNH)
Metric	MCK	UNH
Return on Equity (TTM)	--	12.18%
Return on Assets (TTM)	4.99%	3.78%
Net Profit Margin (TTM)	1.18%	2.68%
Operating Profit Margin (TTM)	2.21%	8.05%
Gross Profit Margin (TTM)	3.60%	18.80%

Growth

Revenue Growth

McKesson (MCK) vs. UnitedHealth Group (UNH): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

Revenue Growth at a Glance

Revenue growth metrics for McKesson (MCK) and UnitedHealth Group (UNH)
Metric	MCK	UNH
1-Year Revenue Growth	12.36%	11.81%
3-Year Revenue CAGR	13.39%	11.35%

EPS Growth

McKesson (MCK) vs. UnitedHealth Group (UNH): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth at a Glance

EPS growth metrics for McKesson (MCK) and UnitedHealth Group (UNH)
Metric	MCK	UNH
1-Year EPS Growth	49.22%	-14.70%
3-Year EPS CAGR	15.31%	-14.52%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both McKesson (MCK) at 0.85 and UnitedHealth Group (UNH) at 0.80 run current ratio in the tighter-liquidity quartile of industry peers, leaving thinner cushions against current liabilities than typical competitors.

MCK

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.85

Max: 7.79
Q3: 4.29
Median: 1.95
Q1: 1.33
MCK: 0.85
Min: 0.04

UNH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.80

Max: 7.79
Q3: 4.29
Median: 1.95
Q1: 1.33
UNH: 0.80
Min: 0.04

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

Debt-to-Equity Ratio (MRQ)

Only one side’s leverage can be read here: UnitedHealth Group (UNH) carries debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74 against its industry range, while McKesson (MCK) reports no figure this period.

MCK

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

Max: 2.02
Q3: 1.01
Median: 0.60
Q1: 0.16
Min: 0.00
MCK: --

UNH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.74

Max: 2.02
Q3: 1.01
UNH: 0.74
Median: 0.60
Q1: 0.16
Min: 0.00

McKesson (MCK) vs. UnitedHealth Group (UNH): MCK 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 at a Glance

Financial strength metrics for McKesson (MCK) and UnitedHealth Group (UNH)
Metric	MCK	UNH
Current Ratio (MRQ)	0.85	0.80
Debt-to-Equity Ratio (MRQ)	--	0.74
Net Debt / EBITDA	0.70	2.18

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both McKesson (MCK) at 0.42% and UnitedHealth Group (UNH) at 2.27% yield above their industries’ entire benchmark ranges — high enough that dividend safety, not income, becomes the first question.

MCK

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.42%

MCK: 0.42%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

UNH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

2.27%

UNH: 2.27%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

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

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both McKesson (MCK) at 8.26% and UnitedHealth Group (UNH) at 66.57% pay out more of their earnings than any of their industry peers — the thinnest cover in their groups, so dividend headroom deserves attention.

MCK

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

8.26%

MCK: 8.26%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

UNH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

66.57%

UNH: 66.57%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

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

Dividends at a Glance

Dividend metrics for McKesson (MCK) and UnitedHealth Group (UNH)
Metric	MCK	UNH
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.42%	2.27%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	8.26%	66.57%