CVS vs ELV vs UNH Stock Comparison

Cvs Health, Elevance Health and Unitedhealth Prices as of Oct 23, 2026 Peers: Industry group
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CVS CVS HEALTH Corp
$93.49 +8.9% 1M +15.3% 1Y
Market cap
$118.29B
P/E
24.2x
Revenue (TTM)
$415.09B
Div. yield
–
Managed Care Healthcare
5 wins
ELV Elevance Health, Inc.
$439.75 +10.3% 1M +27.0% 1Y
Market cap
$93.33B
P/E
18.2x
Revenue (TTM)
$201.83B
Div. yield
–
Managed Care Healthcare
3 wins
UNH Unitedhealth Group Inc
$418.02 +12.6% 1M +16.0% 1Y
Market cap
$369.15B
P/E
26.1x
Revenue (TTM)
$450.13B
Div. yield
0.02%
Managed Care Healthcare
3 wins

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

Cvs Health leads on 5 of the 12 questions below (Cvs Health 5, Unitedhealth 3, Elevance Health 3). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionCVSELVUNHLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $118.29B $93.33B $369.15B UNH
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 24.2x 18.2x 26.1x ELV
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 10.9x 15.6x 19.8x CVS
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +7.4% +3.6% +6.5% CVS
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 1.2% 2.5% 3.1% UNH
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 5.0% -153.2% 10.3% UNH
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 3.7x 0.0x 1.6x ELV
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.00% 0.02% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +15.3% +27.0% +16.0% ELV
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +1.3%/yr +0.3%/yr -1.4%/yr CVS
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 32.3% 36.0% 36.1% CVS
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 55/100 51/100 52/100 CVS

Percentile Scorecard

CVSELVUNH

Each axis is the mean percentile of its metrics against the company's industry group. 100 is the best in the group, 50 the middle.

Scores by Axis

AxisCVSELVUNH
Valuation 92 #3 of 25 50 #13 of 25 42 #15 of 25
Growth 52 #12 of 24 30 #17 of 24 9 #22 of 24
Profitability 61 #10 of 24 44 #14 of 24 91 #3 of 24
Financial Health 16 #22 of 26 44 #15 of 26 48 #14 of 26
Shareholder Returns 56 #8 of 17 88 #3 of 17 69 #6 of 17
Overall 55 51 52
  • CVS ranked among 27 companies in Healthcare Payers and Distributors
  • ELV ranked among 27 companies in Healthcare Payers and Distributors
  • UNH ranked among 27 companies in Healthcare Payers and Distributors

Price Performance

Price return, split-adjusted, before dividends. Click a name to hide or show it.

Returns

PeriodCVSELVUNHSPY
1 month +8.9%+10.3%+12.6% -1.0%
3 months -13.2%+16.5%-0.6% +2.9%
6 months +20.0%+27.6%+17.8% +6.4%
Year to date +17.8%+25.4%+26.6% +11.4%
1 year +15.3%+27.0%+16.0% +13.1%
3 years +35.6%-2.8%-20.4% +79.4%
3 years, per year +10.7%-1.0%-7.3% +21.5%
5 years +6.8%+1.5%-6.9% +67.7%
5 years, per year +1.3%+0.3%-1.4% +10.9%
10 years +7.0%+256.1%+187.6% +255.2%
10 years, per year +0.7%+13.5%+11.1% +13.5%

Risk

MeasureCVSELVUNHSPY
Volatility, 1Y 32.3%36.0%36.1% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 34.5%39.3%38.3% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.150.290.33 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.470.750.44 1.03
Max drawdown, 5Y -60.5%-51.2%-62.0% -25.4%
From 52-week high -15.4%-1.3%-4.2% -2.5%
52-week high $110.55$445.45$436.35 $779.14
52-week low $70.08$280.74$259.02 $631.97

Valuation History

Weekly multiples on trailing twelve-month fundamentals. Negative or extreme readings (a loss year, a collapsed denominator) are left out so the chart stays readable.

MultipleCVSELVUNH
P/E now vs peer median 24.5xmedian 24.5x 18.5xmedian 24.5x 26.7xmedian 24.5x
P/S now vs peer median 0.3xmedian 0.3x 0.5xmedian 0.3x 0.8xmedian 0.3x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 13.0xmedian 14.4x -0.6xmedian 14.4x 16.2xmedian 14.4x
P/FCF now vs peer median 10.2xmedian 15.8x 14.6xmedian 15.8x 16.0xmedian 15.8x
P/B now vs peer median 1.5xmedian 2.5x 2.1xmedian 2.5x 3.6xmedian 2.5x
PEG now vs peer median 1.35median 1.35 -7.93median 1.35 -2.33median 1.35

Financial History

Reported figures by fiscal period, placed on the calendar year (or quarter) each period ended in, so companies with different fiscal years line up.

Trailing twelve monthsCVSELVUNH
Revenue $415.09B $201.83B $450.13B
Gross profit $184.68B $53.35B $139.28B
Operating income $8.29B -$142.23B $21.68B
Net income $4.93B $5.13B $14.91B
Free cash flow $11.76B $6.51B $23.62B
EPS (diluted) $3.80 $23.62 $15.59
Cash & equivalents $11.33B $10.35B $28.59B
Total debt $255.72B $30.76B $309.77B
Shares (diluted) 1.29B 217.60M 906.00M
Enterprise value $70.70B -$49.26B $247.72B

All Metrics

58 metrics · best in bold

Bold marks the best reading: the lowest positive value for multiples, leverage and payout, the highest for everything else. The bar under each value is its percentile against that company's own peers. Hover a value for its rank and the peer median.

Valuation

12 metrics
MetricCVSELVUNH
P/E 24.5x 18.5x 26.7x
P/FCF 10.2x 14.6x 16.0x
P/Operating cash flow 8.1x 12.5x 14.0x
P/S 0.3x 0.5x 0.8x
P/B 1.5x 2.1x 3.6x
P/Tangible book 2.2x 2.8x 4.5x
EV/EBITDA 13.0x -0.6x 16.2x
EV/EBIT 20.1x -0.6x 19.4x
EV/Revenue 0.4x 0.4x 0.9x
EV/FCF 14.2x 13.8x 17.8x
EV/Operating cash flow 11.3x 11.9x 15.6x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 1.35 -7.93 -2.33

Growth

14 metrics
MetricCVSELVUNH
Revenue growth (1Y) 7.4% 3.6% 6.5%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 7.0% 6.2% 8.9%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 6.5% 4.3% 1.1%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 11.8% 5.5% 4.5%
Operating income growth (1Y) -7.4% -4.2% -29.5%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 8.9% -7.2% -10.8%
Net income growth (1Y) 8.6% -7.4% -32.5%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 18.2% -5.2% -11.8%
EPS growth (1Y) 6.5% -4.5% -33.4%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 18.1% -2.3% -11.5%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 95.3% 54.6% -6.7%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) -10.4% -7.2% -13.2%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 146.0% 72.9% -6.5%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) -12.7% -7.6% -14.8%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricCVSELVUNH
Gross margin 44.5% 26.4% 30.9%
EBITDA margin 3.1% -69.7% 5.8%
Operating margin 2.0% -70.5% 4.8%
Pretax margin 1.4% 3.1% 3.9%
Net margin 1.2% 2.5% 3.1%
FCF margin 2.8% 3.2% 5.2%
Operating cash flow margin 3.6% 3.8% 6.0%
Return on equity 6.2% 11.4% 14.3%
Return on assets 1.9% 4.0% 4.8%
Return on invested capital 5.0% -153.2% 10.3%
Return on capital employed 5.0% -176.8% 10.9%
Asset turnover 1.6x 1.6x 1.4x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 3.0x 1.5x 1.8x
Stock comp / revenue 0.2% 0.1% 0.2%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricCVSELVUNH
Debt / assets 24.2% 24.1% 23.7%
Debt / equity 0.8x 0.7x 0.7x
Net debt / EBITDA 3.7x 0.0x 1.6x
Debt / FCF 5.2x 4.7x 3.1x
Liabilities / assets 68.5% 65.0% 66.3%
Equity / assets 31.5% 35.0% 33.7%
Interest coverage 2.7x -98.4x 5.6x
Current ratio 0.9x 1.5x 0.8x
Quick ratio 0.8x 1.2x 0.7x
Cash ratio 0.2x 0.8x 0.3x
Altman Z-score 2.46 -0.79 3.15

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricCVSELVUNH
Dividend yield 2.9% 1.6% 2.2%
Net buyback yield -0.4% 2.1% 0.3%
Shareholder yield 2.5% 3.7% 2.4%
Payout ratio (earnings) – – 54.3%
Payout ratio (FCF) – – 34.3%
Dividend growth (1Y) – – 4.0%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – – 8.3%

Analyst Estimates

Solid lines are reported fiscal-year results; dashed lines are the consensus for the years ahead. Hover a year for the analysts' high and low, and how each result compared with its estimate.

ConsensusCVSELVUNH
Forward P/E 10.9xFY2026 15.6xFY2026 19.8xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $8.55FY2026 $28.24FY2026 $21.16FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +26.7%FY2026 -6.8%FY2026 +29.4%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +2.2% +8.9% +12.1%
Revenue, next fiscal year $426.79BFY2026 $208.75BFY2026 $420.88BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +6.1%FY2026 +5.7%FY2026 -6.0%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after -4.7% -0.2% +15.2%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersCVSELVUNH
Held by institutions 89.1% 91.8% 86.6%
Institutions holding 2,069 1,610 3,359
Change in shares held, QoQ +3.5% +1.7% +5.0%
Institutions buying 1,101 859 1,822
Institutions selling 730 540 1,247
Buyers to sellers 1.51 1.59 1.46

Return Correlation

Daily returns, last 12 months

1.00 means two stocks move in lockstep, 0 that they move independently. Pairs below about 0.5 diversify each other.

CVSELVUNH
CVS 1.00 0.54 0.67
ELV 0.54 1.00 0.67
UNH 0.67 0.67 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, CVS, ELV and UNH?

Unitedhealth (UNH) is the largest by market capitalisation: Cvs Health (CVS) $118.29B, Elevance Health (ELV) $93.33B, Unitedhealth (UNH) $369.15B.

Which stock is cheaper, CVS, ELV and UNH?

Elevance Health (ELV) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Cvs Health (CVS) 24.2x, Elevance Health (ELV) 18.2x, Unitedhealth (UNH) 26.1x). On next year's consensus earnings, Cvs Health (CVS) is cheapest (Cvs Health (CVS) 10.9x, Elevance Health (ELV) 15.6x, Unitedhealth (UNH) 19.8x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Cvs Health (CVS) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Cvs Health (CVS) +7.4%, Elevance Health (ELV) +3.6%, Unitedhealth (UNH) +6.5%.

Which company is more profitable?

Unitedhealth (UNH) has the highest net margin (Cvs Health (CVS) 1.2%, Elevance Health (ELV) 2.5%, Unitedhealth (UNH) 3.1%). On return on invested capital, Unitedhealth (UNH) leads (Cvs Health (CVS) 5.0%, Elevance Health (ELV) -153.2%, Unitedhealth (UNH) 10.3%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Elevance Health (ELV) returned the most: Cvs Health (CVS) +15.3%, Elevance Health (ELV) +27.0%, Unitedhealth (UNH) +16.0%. Over five years, Cvs Health (CVS) compounded fastest (Cvs Health (CVS) +1.3%/yr, Elevance Health (ELV) +0.3%/yr, Unitedhealth (UNH) -1.4%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Only one of these companies pays a dividend: Cvs Health (CVS) 0.00%, Elevance Health (ELV) 0.00%, Unitedhealth (UNH) 0.02%. Cvs Health (CVS) and Elevance Health (ELV) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Cvs Health (CVS) has been the steadiest (Cvs Health (CVS) 32.3%, Elevance Health (ELV) 36.0%, Unitedhealth (UNH) 36.1%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, CVS, ELV and UNH?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Cvs Health (CVS) leads on 5. Business Quant does not give investment advice; use the comparison as a starting point for your own research.

Data from SEC filings, exchange prices and consensus estimates, via Business Quant. Percentile scores compare each company with its own peer group, so two companies' scores are each relative to different peers unless you rank against the whole market. Price returns exclude dividends. Nothing on this page is investment advice.