CVS vs UNH
CVS Health and UnitedHealth Group, side by side.
Prices and company dataas of yesterday's close
- CVSBuy moresales growth, past year6.8%
CVS Health's sales grew 6.8% over the past year, and the stock rose 12% over the past five trading days after its Nov 4 report beat profit forecasts by 29%.
- UNHBuy more14%
UnitedHealth's report on Oct 13 beat profit forecasts by 14%, and it pays a 2.4% dividend that it has raised for 16 years in a row.
Percent return
- CVS+15.52%
- UNH+26.33%
Nov 11, 2025 to Nov 11, 2026
Where they differ
- Company size: CVS $135B, UNH $382B.
- Sales growth, 1 yr: CVS +6.8%, UNH +3.4%. CVS is ahead.
- Price for $1 of next year's profit: CVS $10, UNH $17. CVS is ahead.
- Profit per $1 of sales: CVS 3¢, UNH 6¢. UNH is ahead.
- Cash minus debt: CVS −$60.4B, UNH −$48.5B. UNH is ahead.
- Price change, 1 yr: CVS +16%, UNH +26%. UNH is ahead. S&P 500 +12%.
- How much the price swings: CVS 36%, UNH 24%. UNH is ahead.
| Measure | CVSCVS Health | UNHUnitedHealth Group |
|---|---|---|
| Price and returns | ||
| Price | $89.46 | $402.81 |
| Today | Best in this row: +0.51% | −0.57% |
| 1 month | +4.64% | Best in this row: +6.23% |
| 3 months | −3.64% | Best in this row: +0.77% |
| This year | +16.27% | Best in this row: +24.48% |
| 1 year | +15.52% | Best in this row: +26.33% |
| 5 years | Best in this row: +12.31% | −3.57% |
| From 52-week high | −18.0% | −7.1% |
| How much it swings (90 days) | 36% | Best in this row: 24% |
| Valuation | ||
| Market value | $135B | $382B |
| Price vs last year's earnings | 46.3× | Best in this row: 31.6× |
| Price vs next year's expected earnings | Best in this row: 10.0× | 17.4× |
| Price vs earnings, adjusted for growth | Best in this row: 0.98× | 1.35× |
| Price to sales | Best in this row: 0.3× | 0.8× |
| Price vs cash it brings in | Best in this row: 6.9× | 15.5× |
| Company value vs operating profit | Best in this row: 9.7× | 13.9× |
| Price vs earnings, against its own past (0 = cheapest) | Best in this row: 82 | 91 |
| Growth | ||
| Revenue growth, 1 year | Best in this row: +6.8% | +3.4% |
| Revenue growth a year, last 3 years | +7.5% | Best in this row: +11.4% |
| Earnings per share growth, last year | −45.1% | Best in this row: −44.8% |
| Earnings per share growth expected next year | +5.5% | Best in this row: +13.7% |
| Profitability | ||
| Kept from sales after making the product | 13.7% | – |
| Kept as operating profit | 3.1% | Best in this row: 5.8% |
| Kept as final profit | 2.6% | Best in this row: 3.5% |
| Kept as spare cash | 3.7% | Best in this row: 5.1% |
| Profit on shareholders' money | 14.4% | Best in this row: 15.8% |
| Profit on all money put in | 8.2% | Best in this row: 12.4% |
| Balance sheet | ||
| Net cash (cash minus debt) | −$60.4B | Best in this row: −$48.5B |
| Debt for each $1 of shareholders' money | 0.93× | Best in this row: 0.70× |
| Short-term assets per $1 of bills due | Best in this row: 0.85× | 0.74× |
| Dividend yield | Best in this row: 3.17% | 2.35% |
| Share of profit paid as dividends | Best in this row: 31% | 53% |
| Our readPro | ||
| Our call | Buy more | Buy more |
| Why | CVS Health's sales grew 6.8% over the past year, and the stock rose 12% over the past five trading days after its Nov 4 report beat profit forecasts by 29%. | UnitedHealth's report on Oct 13 beat profit forecasts by 14%, and it pays a 2.4% dividend that it has raised for 16 years in a row. |
| Where the price sits | in the full report | in the full report |
| Our overall score (out of 100) | 56 | Best in this row: 57 |
| Our value score | Best in this row: 57 | 53 |
| Our growth score | Best in this row: 53 | 48 |
| Our quality score | 33 | Best in this row: 54 |
| Our price trend score | Best in this row: 79 | 75 |
| Earnings and analysts | ||
| Analyst consensus | Buy | Buy |
| To average analyst target | Best in this row: +24.4% | +19.8% |
| Average analyst target | $111.25 | $482.69 |
| Analysts rating it a buy | Best in this row: 93% | 81% |
| Buy ratings added, 3 months | Best in this row: +1 | −2 |
| Analysts covering | 16 | 17 |
CVS: faster growth at a lower P/E
Our pick of these: CVS Health
Sales growth +6.8% vs +3.4%
CVS +6.8%, UNH +3.4%.Forward P/E per point of sales growth 1.48 vs 5.08
CVS 1.48, UNH 5.08.+24.4% to the average analyst target, vs +19.8%
CVS +24.4%, UNH +19.8%.Where it loses: UNH has wider profit margins, 5.8% vs 3.1%
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Prices as of yesterday, 3:59 PM ET. A view, not advice.