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STE vs. UNH: STERIS vs. UnitedHealth Stock Comparison

How do STERIS (STE) 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

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

Company profile comparison for STERIS (STE) and UnitedHealth (UNH)
Profile ItemSTEUNH
NameSTERIS plcUnitedHealth Group Inc.
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorHealth CareHealth Care
GICS Industry GroupHealth Care Equipment & ServicesHealth Care Equipment & Services
GICS IndustryHealth Care Equipment & SuppliesHealth Care Providers & Services
GICS Sub-IndustryHealth Care EquipmentManaged Health Care
Market Capitalization24.50 billion USD353.17 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENYSE
Listing DateJune 1, 1992October 17, 1984
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

STE
UNH
GSPC
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STERIS (STE) 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 STERIS (STE) and UnitedHealth (UNH). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for STERIS (STE) and UnitedHealth (UNH)
MetricSTEUNH
Total Return (1Y)-1.85%26.08%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)9.57%-7.69%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)3.26%-1.26%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

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

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for STERIS (STE) and UnitedHealth (UNH)
MetricSTEUNH
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)26.39%34.76%
Beta (5Y)0.810.52
Max Drawdown (5Y)-36.18%-61.39%
Avg. Volume (3M)694.02K5.13M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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STE 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 STERIS (STE) and UnitedHealth (UNH)
MetricSTEUNH
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)-0.230.63
Sortino Ratio (1Y)-0.340.86

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

UnitedHealth (UNH) at 15.77% sits in the top ROE quartile, while STERIS (STE) at 11.61% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for UNH.

STE

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

11.61%

Max
47.61%
Q3
14.36%
STE
11.61%
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%
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STERIS (STE) vs. UnitedHealth (UNH): A comparison of their ROE against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

STERIS (STE) at 13.41% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of UnitedHealth (UNH) at 3.53%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

STE

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

13.41%

Max
29.35%
STE
13.41%
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%
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STERIS (STE) vs. UnitedHealth (UNH): A comparison of their net margin against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

STERIS (STE) at 19.18% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of UnitedHealth (UNH) at 5.82%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

STE

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

19.18%

Max
35.43%
STE
19.18%
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%
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STERIS (STE) vs. UnitedHealth (UNH): A comparison of their operating margin against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for STERIS (STE) and UnitedHealth (UNH)
MetricSTEUNH
ROE (TTM)11.61%15.77%
ROA (TTM)7.00%5.24%
Net Margin (TTM)13.41%3.53%
Operating Margin (TTM)19.18%5.82%
Gross Margin (TTM)44.30%20.05%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both STERIS (STE) at 8.73% 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.

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

EPS Growth

STERIS (STE) at 27.90% sits in the top EPS growth quartile, while UnitedHealth (UNH) at -14.70% is closer to the peer norm — faster per-share earnings growth for STE.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for STERIS (STE) and UnitedHealth (UNH)
MetricSTEUNH
Revenue Growth (YoY)8.73%11.81%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)9.38%11.35%
EPS Growth (YoY)27.90%-14.70%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)94.97%-14.52%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

STERIS (STE) at 2.05 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.

STE

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

2.05

Max
7.59
Q3
4.00
STE
2.05
Median
1.98
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
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STERIS (STE) vs. UnitedHealth (UNH): A comparison of their current ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both STERIS (STE) at 0.28 and UnitedHealth (UNH) at 0.70 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

STE

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.28

Max
1.88
Q3
0.91
Median
0.58
STE
0.28
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
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STERIS (STE) 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 STERIS (STE) and UnitedHealth (UNH)
MetricSTEUNH
Current Ratio (MRQ)2.050.74
Debt / Equity (MRQ)0.280.70
Net Debt / EBITDA0.911.58

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both STERIS (STE) at 1.02% and UnitedHealth (UNH) at 2.29% yield above their industries’ entire benchmark ranges — high enough that dividend safety, not income, becomes the first question.

STE

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

1.02%

STE
1.02%
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%
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STERIS (STE) vs. UnitedHealth (UNH): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both STERIS (STE) at 30.61% 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.

STE

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

30.61%

STE
30.61%
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%
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STERIS (STE) vs. UnitedHealth (UNH): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for STERIS (STE) and UnitedHealth (UNH)
MetricSTEUNH
Dividend Yield (TTM)1.02%2.29%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)30.61%51.71%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both STERIS (STE) at 29.93 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.

STE

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

29.93

Max
80.41
Q3
47.62
STE
29.93
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
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STERIS (STE) 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 STERIS (STE) at 3.97 prices around its industry’s middle — UNH costs less per dollar of sales, though read it alongside growth and margins.

STE

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

3.97

Max
8.80
Q3
4.32
STE
3.97
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
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STERIS (STE) 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 STERIS (STE) at 3.38 and UnitedHealth (UNH) at 3.60 are valued close to their industries’ norm against book — neither stands out from peers.

STE

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

3.38

Max
11.68
Q3
6.12
STE
3.38
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
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STERIS (STE) vs. UnitedHealth (UNH): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for STERIS (STE) and UnitedHealth (UNH)
MetricSTEUNH
P/E Ratio (TTM)29.9322.50
P/S Ratio (TTM)3.970.78
P/B Ratio (MRQ)3.383.60
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)3.36%7.50%