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

July 23, 2026

How do McKesson (MCK) 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

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	97.04 billion USD	396.27 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	November 10, 1994	October 17, 1984
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

MCK

UNH

GSPC

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

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for McKesson (MCK) and UnitedHealth Group (UNH)
Metric	MCK	UNH
Total Return (1Y)	17.01%	58.80%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	26.58%	-2.91%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	33.94%	2.81%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

MCK

UNH

GSPC

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

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for McKesson (MCK) and UnitedHealth Group (UNH)
Metric	MCK	UNH
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	30.21%	39.68%
Beta (5Y)	0.31	0.62
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-27.17%	-61.39%
Avg. Volume (3M)	1.18M	7.24M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

MCK 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 McKesson (MCK) and UnitedHealth Group (UNH)
Metric	MCK	UNH
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.43	1.38
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	0.70	1.97

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Capital efficiency shows on one side only: UnitedHealth Group (UNH) earns 14.15% 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: 13.93%
Median: 3.71%
Q1: -16.92%
Min: -59.21%
MCK: --

UNH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

14.15%

Max: 53.65%
UNH: 14.15%
Q3: 13.93%
Median: 3.71%
Q1: -16.92%
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 Margin (TTM)

Both McKesson (MCK) at 1.18% and UnitedHealth Group (UNH) at 3.14% 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: 8.56%
Median: 1.55%
MCK: 1.18%
Q1: -9.20%
Min: -34.34%

UNH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

3.14%

Max: 30.40%
Q3: 8.56%
UNH: 3.14%
Median: 1.55%
Q1: -9.20%
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 Margin (TTM)

Both McKesson (MCK) at 2.21% and UnitedHealth Group (UNH) at 7.13% 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: 37.54%
Q3: 12.86%
Median: 5.54%
MCK: 2.21%
Q1: -4.10%
Min: -25.61%

UNH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

7.13%

Max: 37.54%
Q3: 12.86%
UNH: 7.13%
Median: 5.54%
Q1: -4.10%
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 Metrics

Profitability metrics for McKesson (MCK) and UnitedHealth Group (UNH)
Metric	MCK	UNH
ROE (TTM)	--	14.15%
ROA (TTM)	4.99%	4.38%
Net Margin (TTM)	1.18%	3.14%
Operating Margin (TTM)	2.21%	7.13%
Gross Margin (TTM)	3.60%	19.51%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both McKesson (MCK) at 12.36% and UnitedHealth Group (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.

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

EPS Growth

McKesson (MCK) at 49.22% sits in the top EPS growth quartile, while UnitedHealth Group (UNH) at -14.70% is closer to the peer norm — faster per-share earnings growth for MCK.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for McKesson (MCK) and UnitedHealth Group (UNH)
Metric	MCK	UNH
Revenue Growth (YoY)	12.36%	11.81%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	13.39%	11.35%
EPS Growth (YoY)	49.22%	-14.70%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	15.31%	-14.52%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both McKesson (MCK) at 0.85 and UnitedHealth Group (UNH) at 0.78 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: 4.32
Median: 2.03
Q1: 1.34
MCK: 0.85
Min: 0.04

UNH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.78

Max: 7.79
Q3: 4.32
Median: 2.03
Q1: 1.34
UNH: 0.78
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 / 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 McKesson (MCK) reports no figure this period.

MCK

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

Max: 2.02
Q3: 0.99
Median: 0.58
Q1: 0.15
Min: 0.00
MCK: --

UNH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.69

Max: 2.02
Q3: 0.99
UNH: 0.69
Median: 0.58
Q1: 0.15
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 Metrics

Financial strength metrics for McKesson (MCK) and UnitedHealth Group (UNH)
Metric	MCK	UNH
Current Ratio (MRQ)	0.85	0.78
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	--	0.69
Net Debt / EBITDA	0.70	1.73

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both McKesson (MCK) at 0.38% and UnitedHealth Group (UNH) at 1.05% 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

0.38%

MCK: 0.38%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

UNH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

1.05%

UNH: 1.05%
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.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for McKesson (MCK) and UnitedHealth Group (UNH)
Metric	MCK	UNH
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.38%	1.05%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	8.26%	66.57%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both McKesson (MCK) at 21.65 and UnitedHealth Group (UNH) at 31.73 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

21.65

Max: 73.47
Q3: 45.86
Median: 30.56
MCK: 21.65
Q1: 21.37
Min: 0.91

UNH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

31.73

Max: 73.47
Q3: 45.86
UNH: 31.73
Median: 30.56
Q1: 21.37
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.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Both McKesson (MCK) at 0.24 and UnitedHealth Group (UNH) at 0.88 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

0.24

Max: 8.58
Q3: 4.23
Median: 2.05
Q1: 1.10
MCK: 0.24
Min: 0.04

UNH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.88

Max: 8.58
Q3: 4.23
Median: 2.05
Q1: 1.10
UNH: 0.88
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.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

McKesson (MCK) reports a negative P/B ratio of -45.79, meaning negative book equity — the multiple itself is not meaningful for valuation. Meanwhile UnitedHealth Group (UNH) reports 3.78, ranking against industry peers normally.

MCK

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

-45.79

Max: 12.13
Q3: 5.82
Median: 2.96
Q1: 1.56
Min: -2.02
MCK: -45.79

UNH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

3.78

Max: 12.13
Q3: 5.82
UNH: 3.78
Median: 2.96
Q1: 1.56
Min: -2.02

McKesson (MCK) 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 McKesson (MCK) and UnitedHealth Group (UNH)
Metric	MCK	UNH
P/E Ratio (TTM)	21.65	31.73
P/S Ratio (TTM)	0.24	0.88
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	-45.79	3.78
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	5.83%	5.74%