How Does UnitedHealth Stock Stack Up Against Its Peers?
UnitedHealth’s stock has largely underperformed some peers over the past year, but how does it measure up against competitors in the evolving healthcare sector? A closer look reveals strong profitability, steady revenue growth, and moderate valuation support. However, sustained outperformance may be limited if regulatory headwinds or emerging sector challenges intensify.
- UNH’s 6.1% operating margin, highest among peers, benefits from its high-margin Optum segment, despite recent Medicare utilization pressures.
- UNH’s 10.5% revenue growth, outpacing CVS but lagging CNC/MOH, is bolstered by Optum’s services and government program membership expansion.
- UNH stock is down 39.4% (1yr), underperforming peers, trading at 17.8x P/E due to surging medical costs and regulatory/leadership uncertainties.
Here’s how UnitedHealth stacks up across size, valuation, and profitability versus key peers.
| UNH | CVS | CNC | MOH | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Market Cap ($ Bil) | 293.2 | 97.1 | 18.6 | 8.2 |
| Revenue ($ Bil) | 435.2 | 394.1 | 185.9 | 44.5 |
| PE Ratio | 17.8 | 204.0 | -3.3 | 11.4 |
| LTM Revenue Growth | 10.5% | 6.8% | 14.9% | 13.7% |
| LTM Operating Margin | 6.1% | 2.7% | 0.6% | 3.0% |
| LTM FCF Margin | 4.0% | 1.6% | 1.8% | -1.3% |
| 12M Market Return | -39.4% | 44.3% | -33.3% | -47.3% |
For more details on UnitedHealth, read Buy or Sell UNH Stock. Below we compare UNH’s growth, margin, and valuation with peers across years
Revenue Growth Comparison
| LTM | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UNH | 10.5% | 7.7% | 14.6% | 12.7% |
| CVS | 6.8% | 4.2% | 10.9% | 10.4% |
| CNC | 14.9% | 5.9% | 6.5% | 14.7% |
| MOH | 13.7% | 19.3% | 6.6% | 15.1% |
Operating Margin Comparison
| LTM | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UNH | 6.1% | 8.1% | 8.7% | 8.8% |
| CVS | 2.7% | 2.6% | 4.1% | 5.1% |
| CNC | 0.6% | 2.0% | 2.2% | 2.5% |
| MOH | 3.0% | 4.2% | 4.6% | 4.3% |
PE Ratio Comparison
| LTM | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UNH | 17.8 | 32.3 | 21.8 | 24.7 |
| CVS | 204.0 | 12.2 | 12.2 | 28.4 |
| CNC | -3.3 | 9.6 | 14.9 | 39.2 |
| MOH | 11.4 | 14.2 | 19.1 | 24.1 |
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