UNH vs MCK vs CVS Stock Comparison

Unitedhealth, Mckesson and Cvs Health Prices as of Oct 23, 2026 Peers: Industry group
UNH Unitedhealth Group Inc
$418.02 +12.6% 1M +16.0% 1Y
Market cap
$370.53B
P/E
26.2x
Revenue (TTM)
$450.13B
Div. yield
0.02%
Managed Care Healthcare
3 wins
MCK Mckesson Corp
$1,001.01 +13.6% 1M +26.2% 1Y
Market cap
$117.56B
P/E
25.6x
Revenue (TTM)
$410.98B
Div. yield
0.00%
Drug Distribution Healthcare
7 wins
CVS CVS HEALTH Corp
$93.49 +8.9% 1M +15.3% 1Y
Market cap
$118.17B
P/E
24.2x
Revenue (TTM)
$415.09B
Div. yield
–
Managed Care Healthcare
2 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Mckesson leads on 7 of the 12 questions below (Mckesson 7, Unitedhealth 3, Cvs Health 2). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionUNHMCKCVSLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $370.53B $117.56B $118.17B UNH
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 26.2x 25.6x 24.2x CVS
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 19.8x 21.2x 10.9x CVS
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +6.5% +8.8% +7.4% MCK
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 3.1% 1.1% 1.2% UNH
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 10.3% 107.9% 5.0% MCK
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 1.6x 0.6x 3.7x MCK
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.02% 0.00% 0.00% UNH
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +16.0% +26.2% +15.3% MCK
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years -1.4%/yr +36.8%/yr +1.3%/yr MCK
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 36.1% 30.6% 32.3% MCK
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 52/100 60/100 55/100 MCK

Percentile Scorecard

UNHMCKCVS

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

AxisUNHMCKCVS
Valuation 42 #15 of 25 54 #12 of 25 92 #3 of 25
Growth 9 #22 of 24 65 #9 of 24 52 #12 of 24
Profitability 91 #3 of 24 65 #9 of 24 61 #10 of 24
Financial Health 48 #14 of 26 52 #13 of 26 16 #22 of 26
Shareholder Returns 69 #6 of 17 63 #7 of 17 56 #8 of 17
Overall 52 60 55
  • UNH ranked among 27 companies in Healthcare Payers and Distributors
  • MCK ranked among 27 companies in Healthcare Payers and Distributors
  • CVS 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

PeriodUNHMCKCVSSPY
1 month +12.6%+13.6%+8.9% -1.0%
3 months -0.6%+19.1%-13.2% +2.9%
6 months +17.8%+20.9%+20.0% +6.4%
Year to date +26.6%+22.0%+17.8% +11.4%
1 year +16.0%+26.2%+15.3% +13.1%
3 years -20.4%+121.4%+35.6% +79.4%
3 years, per year -7.3%+30.4%+10.7% +21.5%
5 years -6.9%+378.7%+6.8% +67.7%
5 years, per year -1.4%+36.8%+1.3% +10.9%
10 years +187.6%+521.6%+7.0% +255.2%
10 years, per year +11.1%+20.1%+0.7% +13.5%

Risk

MeasureUNHMCKCVSSPY
Volatility, 1Y 36.1%30.6%32.3% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 38.3%27.4%34.5% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.33-0.250.15 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.440.860.47 1.03
Max drawdown, 5Y -62.0%-27.2%-60.5% -25.4%
From 52-week high -4.2%-2.8%-15.4% -2.5%
52-week high $436.35$1,030.18$110.55 $779.14
52-week low $259.02$725.17$70.08 $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.

MultipleUNHMCKCVS
P/E now vs peer median 26.7xmedian 24.5x 25.9xmedian 24.5x 24.5xmedian 24.5x
P/S now vs peer median 0.8xmedian 0.3x 0.3xmedian 0.3x 0.3xmedian 0.3x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 16.2xmedian 14.4x 16.7xmedian 14.4x 13.0xmedian 14.4x
P/FCF now vs peer median 16.0xmedian 15.8x 18.2xmedian 15.8x 10.2xmedian 15.8x
P/B now vs peer median 3.6xmedian 2.5x -27.5xmedian 2.5x 1.5xmedian 2.5x
PEG now vs peer median -2.33median 1.35 2.16median 1.35 1.35median 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 monthsUNHMCKCVS
Revenue $450.13B $410.98B $415.09B
Gross profit $139.28B $14.96B $184.68B
Operating income $21.68B $6.50B $8.29B
Net income $14.91B $5.30B $4.93B
Free cash flow $23.62B $6.42B $11.76B
EPS (diluted) $15.59 $38.52 $3.80
Cash & equivalents $28.59B $5.16B $11.33B
Total debt $309.77B $9.73B $255.72B
Shares (diluted) 906.00M 119.20M 1.29B
Enterprise value $249.10B $101.45B $70.58B

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
MetricUNHMCKCVS
P/E 26.7x 25.9x 24.5x
P/FCF 16.0x 18.2x 10.2x
P/Operating cash flow 14.0x 17.0x 8.1x
P/S 0.8x 0.3x 0.3x
P/B 3.6x -27.5x 1.5x
P/Tangible book 4.5x -14.1x 2.2x
EV/EBITDA 16.2x 16.7x 13.0x
EV/EBIT 19.4x 18.7x 20.1x
EV/Revenue 0.9x 0.3x 0.4x
EV/FCF 17.8x 18.9x 14.2x
EV/Operating cash flow 15.6x 17.7x 11.3x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) -2.33 2.16 1.35

Growth

14 metrics
MetricUNHMCKCVS
Revenue growth (1Y) 6.5% 8.8% 7.4%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 8.9% 13.1% 7.0%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 1.1% 11.2% 6.5%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 4.5% 6.6% 11.8%
Operating income growth (1Y) -29.5% 46.6% -7.4%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) -10.8% 13.5% 8.9%
Net income growth (1Y) -32.5% 58.1% 8.6%
Net income CAGR (3Y) -11.8% 10.7% 18.2%
EPS growth (1Y) -33.4% 52.8% 6.5%
EPS CAGR (3Y) -11.5% 12.0% 18.1%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) -6.7% 4.7% 95.3%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) -13.2% 10.7% -10.4%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) -6.5% 6.8% 146.0%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) -14.8% 11.3% -12.7%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricUNHMCKCVS
Gross margin 30.9% 3.6% 44.5%
EBITDA margin 5.8% 1.8% 3.1%
Operating margin 4.8% 1.6% 2.0%
Pretax margin 3.9% 1.6% 1.4%
Net margin 3.1% 1.1% 1.2%
FCF margin 5.2% 1.6% 2.8%
Operating cash flow margin 6.0% 1.7% 3.6%
Return on equity 14.3% – 6.2%
Return on assets 4.8% 6.2% 1.9%
Return on invested capital 10.3% 107.9% 5.0%
Return on capital employed 10.9% 43.4% 5.0%
Asset turnover 1.4x 4.8x 1.6x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.8x 1.3x 3.0x
Stock comp / revenue 0.2% – 0.2%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricUNHMCKCVS
Debt / assets 23.7% 11.0% 24.2%
Debt / equity 0.7x -2.3x 0.8x
Net debt / EBITDA 1.6x 0.6x 3.7x
Debt / FCF 3.1x 1.5x 5.2x
Liabilities / assets 66.3% 104.8% 68.5%
Equity / assets 33.7% -4.8% 31.5%
Interest coverage 5.6x 23.6x 2.7x
Current ratio 0.8x 0.9x 0.9x
Quick ratio 0.7x 0.5x 0.8x
Cash ratio 0.3x 0.1x 0.2x
Altman Z-score 3.15 5.91 2.46

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricUNHMCKCVS
Dividend yield 2.2% 0.3% 2.9%
Net buyback yield 0.3% 5.7% -0.4%
Shareholder yield 2.4% 6.0% 2.5%
Payout ratio (earnings) 54.3% 7.4% –
Payout ratio (FCF) 34.3% 6.1% –
Dividend growth (1Y) 4.0% 11.3% –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) 8.3% 10.0% –

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.

ConsensusUNHMCKCVS
Forward P/E 19.8xFY2026 21.2xFY2026 10.9xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $21.16FY2026 $47.14FY2026 $8.55FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +29.4%FY2026 +20.5%FY2026 +26.7%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +12.1% +11.1% +2.2%
Revenue, next fiscal year $420.88BFY2026 $444.51BFY2026 $426.79BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY -6.0%FY2026 +10.2%FY2026 +6.1%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +15.2% +1.4% -4.7%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersUNHMCKCVS
Held by institutions 86.6% 89.1% 89.1%
Institutions holding 3,359 2,007 2,069
Change in shares held, QoQ +5.0% -0.7% +3.5%
Institutions buying 1,822 879 1,101
Institutions selling 1,247 791 730
Buyers to sellers 1.46 1.11 1.51

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.

UNHMCKCVS
UNH 1.00 0.01 0.67
MCK 0.01 1.00 0.09
CVS 0.67 0.09 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, UNH, MCK and CVS?

Unitedhealth (UNH) is the largest by market capitalisation: Unitedhealth (UNH) $370.53B, Mckesson (MCK) $117.56B, Cvs Health (CVS) $118.17B.

Which stock is cheaper, UNH, MCK and CVS?

Cvs Health (CVS) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Unitedhealth (UNH) 26.2x, Mckesson (MCK) 25.6x, Cvs Health (CVS) 24.2x). On next year's consensus earnings, Cvs Health (CVS) is cheapest (Unitedhealth (UNH) 19.8x, Mckesson (MCK) 21.2x, Cvs Health (CVS) 10.9x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Mckesson (MCK) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Unitedhealth (UNH) +6.5%, Mckesson (MCK) +8.8%, Cvs Health (CVS) +7.4%.

Which company is more profitable?

Unitedhealth (UNH) has the highest net margin (Unitedhealth (UNH) 3.1%, Mckesson (MCK) 1.1%, Cvs Health (CVS) 1.2%). On return on invested capital, Mckesson (MCK) leads (Unitedhealth (UNH) 10.3%, Mckesson (MCK) 107.9%, Cvs Health (CVS) 5.0%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Mckesson (MCK) returned the most: Unitedhealth (UNH) +16.0%, Mckesson (MCK) +26.2%, Cvs Health (CVS) +15.3%. Over five years, Mckesson (MCK) compounded fastest (Unitedhealth (UNH) -1.4%/yr, Mckesson (MCK) +36.8%/yr, Cvs Health (CVS) +1.3%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Unitedhealth (UNH) has the highest dividend yield: Unitedhealth (UNH) 0.02%, Mckesson (MCK) 0.00%, Cvs Health (CVS) 0.00%. Cvs Health (CVS) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Mckesson (MCK) has been the steadiest (Unitedhealth (UNH) 36.1%, Mckesson (MCK) 30.6%, Cvs Health (CVS) 32.3%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

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

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Mckesson (MCK) leads on 7. 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.