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UNH

NYSE
Weak· 41

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated

Healthcare
Insurance—Healthcare Plans

$409.77

1.4%

Updated Today 11:30 AM ET

Report Card

UNH at a glance — five pillars scored 0–100 from real filed financials.

Value
0
Growth
0
Profitability
0
Health
0
Dividends
0

Overall: Weak · 41/100. A wider, greener shape means more pillars look healthy. Dividends scores 0 when a company pays none — that is a choice, not a flaw.

Price — Past Year

▲ Up 30.5% over the last 12 months

Price 50-day average 200-day averageDCF fair value ±15%Source: Yahoo Finance · refreshed daily
Key Metrics

Market Cap

$386.29B

P/E

31.16x

Forward P/E (est.)

44.51x

ROE

12.4%

Revenue Growth

9.7%

EPS Growth

-44.6%

Profit Margin

2.7%

FCF Yield

6.9%

Debt / Equity

0.83x

ROIC

14.0%

Interest Coverage

4.74x

Current Ratio

0.8x

Dividend Yield

2.3%

Implied Growth (rev. DCF)

4.6%

Rating Score

41/100

Business Overview
Research

UnitedHealth is the largest U.S. managed-care organization, pairing health-insurance scale with the vertically integrated Optum services platform, which now drives a growing share of earnings.

Economic Moat

Evidence of durable competitive advantage in the filed financials (10 years of history).

Narrow moat signalsMoat evidence score: 64/100

Some durable-advantage evidence, but not across the board — dig into which ingredient is weak and whether it's cyclical or structural.

Operating margin level0/100

7.0% average over the last 3 years

Operating margin stability84/100

±1.3 pts around 7.7% across 10 years

Revenue durability100/100

grew in 9 of the last 9 year-over-year periods

Free-cash-flow consistency100/100

positive in 10 of 10 years

Return on invested capital45/100

14.0% latest fiscal year

A moat can't be proven by numbers alone — this scores the evidence a durable advantage leaves behind (pricing power, consistency, returns on capital), computed the same way for every stock. Pair it with the business overview before concluding anything.

Trade Setup & Technical Analysis

Institutional-style technical read — sample, educational only

Bullish
Confidence score41/100

Uptrend — price ($409.77) is above the 50-day ($390.46) and 200-day ($337.30) averages.

Setup type

Trend-continuation swing

Holding time

1–6 weeks

Risk level

Medium

Risk / reward

1 : 1.1

Trade levels

Entry zone

$403.62 – $409.77

Stop loss

$384.71

Target 1

$430.20

Target 2

$445.54

Target 3

$465.98

Position sizing: Scale in; risk ≤ 1% of capital, half-size to start.

Technical analysis

RSI(14) is firm (63); the MACD histogram is positive (upward momentum). Uptrend — price ($409.77) is above the 50-day ($390.46) and 200-day ($337.30) averages. ATR(14) is $10.22 (~2.5% of price), which sets the stop distance. Recent support sits near $389.82 and resistance near $430.20; the 52-week range is $234.60–$430.20.

Fundamental analysis

Revenue is stable at 9.7%, net margin near 2.7%, ROE roughly 12.4%; shares trade at 31x earnings. Quality score: 41/100.

Options flow

Live options-flow data needs a paid feed, so it isn't shown. For realized volatility, ATR of $10.22 (~2.5%/day) is the range to size stops and any option strikes around.

Volume analysis

The latest session traded 0.5× the 20-day average volume — below average, so conviction is light.

Catalysts

The next quarterly earnings report is the main near-term catalyst. Technically, watch for a break and hold above $430.20 or a loss of $389.82.

Bullish scenario

Vertical integration with Optum diversifies and grows earnings.

Bearish scenario

Regulatory and political risk to medical-loss ratios and pricing.

Invalidation

A daily close below $384.71 invalidates this setup read.

Probability-based scenario using sample data — not a recommendation or a guarantee of profit. Prioritize capital preservation, use stops, and size positions for risk. Past performance does not predict future results.

Technical Analysis (Educational)
Research

Technical analysis reads price and volume to judge momentum and timing. It complements the fundamentals above — it does not replace them. Here is what UNH's chart says today, with each tool explained.

Trend — moving averages. A moving average is the average closing price over a window, which smooths out daily noise. UNH trades near $409.77, above its 50-day average ($390.46) and 200-day average ($337.30). Price above both averages, with the shorter one above the longer, is the textbook definition of an uptrend — momentum favours buyers.

Momentum — RSI. The Relative Strength Index runs 0–100 and measures how strong recent gains are versus losses. Above 70 is "overbought", below 30 "oversold". At 63 it is in neutral territory — neither stretched nor washed out.

MACD. MACD compares two moving averages to flag shifts in momentum. Its histogram is currently positive — short-term momentum is improving.

Volatility — ATR. Average True Range is the typical daily move. UNH's is $10.22 (~2.5% of price), so swings of about that size each day are normal — handy for setting a stop that isn't too tight.

Support & resistance. Over the last month UNH found buyers near $389.82 (support) and sellers near $430.20 (resistance); its 52-week range is $234.60–$430.20. A decisive break beyond either edge often marks the next move.

Volume. The latest session traded 0.5× the 20-day average — lighter than usual, so the move carries less conviction. Rising volume on up-days suggests real buying; on down-days, real selling.

Educational information to help you read a chart — not a recommendation or a forecast. It updates daily as the price and indicators change.

Revenue Growth
Research

4Y CAGR

11.7%

2/4 checks passedRevenue growingRevenue growth beats sector midpointEPS growingEPS growing faster than revenue

Revenue grew from $184.84B in 2016 to $447.57B in 2025, a 10.3% CAGR. The most recent year grew about 9.7% year over year, a moderate pace consistent with a mature business.

Profitability
Research
3/4 checks passedProfitableNet margin above sector midpointROE above 12%ROIC above 10%

Gross Margin

Operating Margin

4.2%

Net Margin

2.7%

ROE

12.4%

Gross margin runs near 24.0% with operating margin around 4.1% and net margin near 2.7%. Return on equity of roughly 12.4% indicates moderate capital efficiency, and the margin profile has trended steady over the period shown.

Debt Analysis
Research
3/4 checks passedDebt under 1× equityDebt under 2× equityInterest covered 3×+Short-term bills covered

Total Debt

$75.06B

Net Debt

$47.06B

Net Debt / EBITDA

2.48x

Debt / Equity

0.83x

Interest-bearing debt is about 12.0% of market capitalization and the debt-to-equity ratio is roughly 0.83x. Leverage is moderate and manageable relative to cash flow.

Cash Flow Analysis
Research
3/3 checks passedPositive free cash flowFCF yield above 2%Market expects achievable growth (<8%)

Operating CF

$19.70B

Free Cash Flow

$16.07B

FCF Margin

3.6%

Operating cash flow comfortably exceeds reported net income, and free cash flow yield is around 6.9%. Cash generation is robust and supports buybacks, dividends, and reinvestment.

Dividend Safety

Can the payout survive a bad year? Scored from filed cash flow, earnings coverage, and the raise/cut record.

SafeSafety score: 85/100

The payout is comfortably covered by cash the business actually generates, with a raise habit behind it.

Dividend yield

2.3%

Per share (latest FY)

$8.73

Total paid (latest FY)

$7.92B

History on record

10 years

Free-cash-flow coverage85/100

dividend uses 49% of free cash flow

Earnings payout ratio53/100

66% of net income paid out

Raise streak100/100

total dividends increased 9 years in a row

Cut history100/100

no cuts in the last 10 years on record

Coverage uses the latest fiscal year as filed with the SEC; the streak counts total dollars paid (per-share figures can carry split artifacts). Educational information, not income advice.

Valuation Analysis
Research
3/4 checks passedPositive earnings (P/E meaningful)P/E below sector's upper bandForward P/E below trailing (earnings growing)Trading below DCF fair value

P/E

31.16x

P/S

0.83x

P/B

3.22x

EV / EBITDA

13x

Shares trade at roughly 31x trailing earnings (16x forward), 0.8x sales, and 13x EV/EBITDA. That is a full but defensible multiple for a quality franchise. Our internal rating is Weak.

DCF Fair Value (Educational)

A two-stage discounted cash flow on real SEC-filed free cash flow — the intrinsic-value anchor professional analysts triangulate from.

DCF fair value / share

$417.69

Current price

$409.77

+2% · Near fair-value estimate

Starting FCF (latest 10-K)

$16.07B

Growth, years 1–5

9.7%

Fade to terminal, years 6–10

2.5%

Discount rate

9.0%

PV of 10-yr free cash flow$158.89B
PV of terminal value$220.43B
Estimated equity value$379.32B
Shares outstanding908M

Cash flows grow at the stage-1 rate (trailing revenue growth, capped at 20%) for five years, fade to 2.5% by year 10, and continue at that rate forever (Gordon terminal value), all discounted at 9.0%. Small changes in assumptions move the result a lot — treat this as one reference point, not a target price. Educational only, not investment advice.

Metrics vs. Sector Range

Where UNH sits versus its Health Care sector peers in the S&P 500.

TTM P/E
31.2xFair
Forward P/E
44.5xExpensive
P/S ratio
0.8xCheap
Revenue growth
9.7%Average
EPS growth
-44.6%Weak
Gross margin
Net margin
2.7%Weak
ROE
12.4%Average

Bands show the middle half (25th–75th percentile) of the 83 Health Care companies in the S&P 500 — the peer-relative anchor professional comps analysis uses. Context only — not investment advice.

Sector Peer Comparison

How UNH stacks up against its Health Care peers — valuation, profitability, and growth versus the sector median.

In the Health Care sector (324 S&P 500 companies), UNH ranks #63 of 324 by our overall rating. It trades at roughly in line versus the sector on earnings (31.2x P/E vs. 27.3x median) with a lower return on equity (12.4% vs. 14.1%) and faster revenue growth (9.7% vs. 7.6%).

P/E vs sector

31.2x

median 27.3x

ROE vs sector

12.4%

median 14.1%

Growth vs sector

9.7%

median 7.6%

Sector rank

#63

of 324 by rating

CompanyP/ERev Gr.Rating
UNHThis stock31.2x9.7%Weak· 41
ABBV118.9x9.5%Weak· 31
MRK35.7x2.9%Weak· 40
AZN25x9.9%Favorable· 68
NVS21.4x5.8%Favorable· 67
JNJ29.6x7.9%Neutral· 56
NVO11.1x8.1%Strong· 79
AMGN28.5x9.1%Favorable· 62
Health Care median27.3x7.6%0/100

Valuation vs. quality map

sector medianABBVMRKAZNNVSJNJNVOAMGNUNHP/E — cheaper ←→ pricierROE — more profitable ↑

The sweet spot is upper-left: more profitable (higher ROE) for a lower P/E. Dashed lines mark the sector median.

Compare side by side

Peers are the closest Health Care companies by sub-industry and size. Sector median is across all 324 S&P 500 names in the sector. Educational, not a recommendation.

5-Year Projection Model

Project revenue → earnings → price. Edit the assumptions to build your own case.

2030 price target (Base Case)

$0.00 $0.00

vs. $409.77 today · expected CAGR 1%12%

Metric20262027202820292030
Revenue$492.32B$541.56B$595.71B$655.28B$720.81B
Net income$14.77B$16.25B$17.87B$19.66B$21.62B
EPS$15.67$17.23$18.96$20.85$22.94
Share price (low)$297.68$327.45$360.20$396.22$435.84
Share price (high)$485.69$534.26$587.69$646.46$711.10
CAGR (low–high)-27% / 19%-11% / 14%-4% / 13%-1% / 12%1% / 12%

Educational model on sample fundamentals — not a forecast or investment advice. Outputs are only as good as your assumptions.

Bull Case
  • Vertical integration with Optum diversifies and grows earnings.
  • Scale advantages in cost control and data.
  • Steady demand and consistent cash generation.
Bear Case
  • Regulatory and political risk to medical-loss ratios and pricing.
  • Rising medical-cost trends pressure margins.
  • Headline risk around insurance practices can compress the multiple.
Key Risks
Research
  • Healthcare policy and reimbursement changes.
  • Medical-cost inflation.
  • Litigation and regulatory scrutiny.
Final Investment Thesis
Research

UnitedHealth is a scaled managed-care leader whose Optum arm keeps compounding earnings; the main risks are political and medical-cost pressure, not demand.

Analyst Ratings

What 34 Wall Street analysts covering UNH recommend (August 2026). Consensus is a useful sanity check — not a substitute for your own homework.

Buy
consensus · score 4.0 / 5 across 34 analysts
Strong Buy 8Buy 19Hold 7Sell 0Strong Sell 0

Analysts have turned more positive over the last three months (+3 pts of buy ratings).

Latest SEC Filings

UNH's most recent filings, straight from SEC EDGAR. Annual and quarterly reports are the deep dives; 8-Ks flag material events the moment they happen.

In the Idea Lab

UNH — frequently asked questions

Is UNH a good stock to buy?

We don't give buy or sell advice. Our model rates UnitedHealth Group Incorporated Weak (41/100) based on its growth, profitability, financial health, and valuation — use that as a research starting point and make your own decision.

What is UNH's rating on The Stocks School?

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated currently scores 41/100 (Weak) on our transparent model, which weighs real fundamentals: growth, margins, returns on capital, balance-sheet strength, and valuation.

How our ratings work
Where does UNH's data come from?

Live price data plus real fundamentals and 5-year financials pulled directly from UnitedHealth Group Incorporated's SEC filings — refreshed automatically, not hand-entered.

How is the 5-year projection for UNH calculated?

It's a scenario model: it grows revenue at an assumed rate, applies a profit margin and a valuation multiple, and shows the resulting share-price range. The assumptions are yours to change — it's a tool for thinking, not a prediction.

Is this UNH analysis financial advice?

No. Everything on this page is educational research, not financial advice or a recommendation to buy or sell UNH. Always do your own research and consider a licensed professional.

Data notice. Fundamentals and financial statements are sourced from company filings (SEC EDGAR) and market-data providers; prices and market caps refresh on trading days and may be delayed. Ratings, projections, technical signals, and written summaries are model- or rule-generated for education and may simplify or lag the latest filings.

Not advice. Nothing on this page is investment advice or a recommendation to buy, hold, or sell any security. Do your own research and consult a licensed financial professional before investing.