UNH vs SHOP vs CNC Stock Comparison

Unitedhealth, Shopify and Centene Prices as of Nov 5, 2026 Peers: Industry group
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UNH Unitedhealth Group Inc
$395.37 +5.1% 1M +20.6% 1Y
Market cap
$354.55B
P/E
22.3x
Revenue (TTM)
$449.66B
Div. yield
0.02%
Managed Care Healthcare
4 wins
SHOP Shopify Inc.
$143.75 -12.6% 1M -11.8% 1Y
Market cap
$190.21B
P/E
89.5x
Revenue (TTM)
$14.17B
Div. yield
–
E-commerce Software Technology
3 wins
CNC Centene Corp
$74.16 +14.8% 1M +101.3% 1Y
Market cap
$35.11B
P/E
24.1x
Revenue (TTM)
$203.90B
Div. yield
–
Managed Care Healthcare
4 wins

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

Unitedhealth leads on 4 of the 12 questions below (Unitedhealth 4, Centene 4, Shopify 3). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionUNHSHOPCNCLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $354.55B $190.21B $35.11B UNH
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 22.3x 89.5x 24.1x UNH
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 18.5x 77.3x 13.6x CNC
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +3.3% +32.5% +9.7% SHOP
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 3.5% 15.0% 0.7% SHOP
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 11.3% — 2.0% UNH
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 1.6x — -3.6x CNC
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.02% 0.00% 0.00% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +20.6% -11.8% +101.3% CNC
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years -2.8%/yr -1.2%/yr 0.0%/yr CNC
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 36.0% 60.3% 47.0% UNH
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 58/100 62/100 57/100 SHOP

Percentile Scorecard

UNHSHOPCNC

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

AxisUNHSHOPCNC
Valuation 60 #11 of 26 21 #132 of 166 96 #2 of 26
Growth 17 #21 of 25 79 #33 of 154 50 #13 of 25
Profitability 88 #4 of 25 80 #32 of 154 46 #14 of 25
Financial Health 44 #15 of 26 92 #16 of 179 60 #11 of 26
Shareholder Returns 81 #4 of 17 41 #58 of 97 31 #12 of 17
Overall 58 62 57
  • UNH ranked among 27 companies in Healthcare Payers and Distributors
  • SHOP ranked among 185 companies in Internet Platforms
  • CNC 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

PeriodUNHSHOPCNCSPY
1 month +5.1%-12.6%+14.8% -5.9%
3 months -2.1%-2.5%+15.5% -4.6%
6 months +6.9%+28.6%+34.9% +0.2%
Year to date +19.8%-10.7%+80.2% +7.5%
1 year +20.6%-11.8%+101.3% +8.2%
3 years -25.9%+137.9%+3.2% +68.3%
3 years, per year -9.5%+33.5%+1.1% +19.0%
5 years -13.3%-5.9%0.0% +56.5%
5 years, per year -2.8%-1.2%0.0% +9.4%
10 years +187.1%+3,576.5%+140.7% +251.5%
10 years, per year +11.1%+43.4%+9.2% +13.4%

Risk

MeasureUNHSHOPCNCSPY
Volatility, 1Y 36.0%60.3%47.0% 13.6%
Downside volatility, 1Y 38.0%61.7%46.4% 14.2%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.361.820.43 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.57-0.202.16 0.60
Max drawdown, 5Y -62.0%-84.8%-74.1% -25.4%
From 52-week high -9.4%-19.8%-2.4% -5.9%
52-week high $436.35$179.22$75.99 $779.14
52-week low $259.02$95.40$31.80 $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.

MultipleUNHSHOPCNC
P/E now vs peer median 22.3xmedian 25.1x 87.0xmedian 18.0x 25.1xmedian 25.1x
P/S now vs peer median 0.8xmedian 0.4x 13.1xmedian 1.3x 0.2xmedian 0.4x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 14.2xmedian 14.2x 86.0xmedian 15.5x 12.8xmedian 14.2x
P/FCF now vs peer median 15.5xmedian 16.4x 69.5xmedian 11.4x 9.3xmedian 16.4x
P/B now vs peer median 3.4xmedian 2.6x 14.5xmedian 1.7x 1.6xmedian 2.6x
PEG now vs peer median -2.55median 1.51 —median 0.38 -1.90median 1.51

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 monthsUNHSHOPCNC
Revenue $449.66B $14.17B $203.90B
Gross profit $141.79B $6.73B $43.95B
Operating income $23.92B $2.07B $1.01B
Net income $16.67B $2.13B $1.46B
Free cash flow $22.83B $2.66B $3.94B
R&D – $1.77B –
EPS (diluted) $17.61 $1.65 $2.95
Cash & equivalents $25.85B $1.87B $20.70B
Total debt $74.33B – $15.54B
Shares (diluted) 902.00M 1.29B 494.14M
Enterprise value $235.18B $169.02B -$59.59B

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
MetricUNHSHOPCNC
P/E 22.3x 87.0x 25.1x
P/FCF 15.5x 69.5x 9.3x
P/Operating cash flow 13.5x 69.0x 7.8x
P/S 0.8x 13.1x 0.2x
P/B 3.4x 14.5x 1.6x
P/Tangible book 4.2x 14.7x 2.0x
EV/EBITDA 14.2x 86.0x 12.8x
EV/EBIT 16.7x 87.1x 28.5x
EV/Revenue 0.9x 12.7x 0.1x
EV/FCF 17.5x 67.7x 7.3x
EV/Operating cash flow 15.3x 67.2x 6.1x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) -2.55 – -1.90

Growth

14 metrics
MetricUNHSHOPCNC
Revenue growth (1Y) 3.3% 32.5% 9.7%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 7.7% – 10.7%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 4.1% 29.0% 16.2%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 3.8% – 9.4%
Operating income growth (1Y) -9.2% 58.9% 117.7%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) -8.8% – -29.2%
Net income growth (1Y) -9.3% 19.4% 127.6%
Net income CAGR (3Y) -9.3% – -15.8%
EPS growth (1Y) -9.1% 21.4% 127.4%
EPS CAGR (3Y) -8.7% – -13.2%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 25.0% 39.5% 16.2%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) -4.1% – -9.0%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 31.4% 39.8% 17.5%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) -4.8% – -10.2%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricUNHSHOPCNC
Gross margin 31.5% 47.5% 21.6%
EBITDA margin 6.3% 14.8% 1.1%
Operating margin 5.3% 14.6% 0.5%
Pretax margin 4.4% 17.9% 0.9%
Net margin 3.5% 15.0% 0.7%
FCF margin 5.1% 18.8% 1.9%
Operating cash flow margin 5.8% 18.9% 2.3%
Return on equity 16.0% 16.7% 6.5%
Return on assets 5.4% 14.6% 1.8%
Return on invested capital 11.3% – 2.0%
Return on capital employed 12.2% 16.0% 2.4%
Asset turnover 1.4x 1.0x 2.5x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.6x 1.3x 3.2x
Stock comp / revenue 0.2% 3.6% 0.1%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricUNHSHOPCNC
Debt / assets 23.8% – 19.6%
Debt / equity 0.7x – 0.7x
Net debt / EBITDA 1.6x – -3.6x
Debt / FCF 3.3x – 3.9x
Liabilities / assets 66.7% 13.1% 71.9%
Equity / assets 33.3% 86.9% 28.1%
Interest coverage 6.2x – 1.6x
Current ratio 0.7x 4.9x 1.2x
Quick ratio 0.7x 3.3x 1.1x
Cash ratio 0.2x 3.0x 0.6x
Altman Z-score 3.05 60.30 3.30

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricUNHSHOPCNC
Dividend yield 2.3% – –
Net buyback yield 1.2% 1.3% 0.1%
Shareholder yield 3.5% 1.3% 0.1%
Payout ratio (earnings) 49.0% – –
Payout ratio (FCF) 35.8% – –
Dividend growth (1Y) 4.2% – –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) 7.6% – –

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.

ConsensusUNHSHOPCNC
Forward P/E 18.5xFY2026 77.3xFY2026 13.6xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $21.36FY2026 $1.86FY2026 $5.44FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +30.6%FY2026 +31.0%FY2026 +161.5%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +12.0% +24.7% +7.5%
Revenue, next fiscal year $421.27BFY2026 $15.76BFY2026 $206.34BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY -5.9%FY2026 +37.6%FY2026 +5.9%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +15.1% +15.0% -1.2%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersUNHSHOPCNC
Held by institutions 86.6% 68.9% 97.9%
Institutions holding 3,367 1,707 1,001
Change in shares held, QoQ +5.0% +3.6% +2.1%
Institutions buying 1,826 788 569
Institutions selling 1,250 653 334
Buyers to sellers 1.46 1.21 1.70

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.

UNHSHOPCNC
UNH 1.00 0.08 0.51
SHOP 0.08 1.00 0.18
CNC 0.51 0.18 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

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Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, UNH, SHOP and CNC?

Unitedhealth (UNH) is the largest by market capitalisation: Unitedhealth (UNH) $354.55B, Shopify (SHOP) $190.21B, Centene (CNC) $35.11B.

Which stock is cheaper, UNH, SHOP and CNC?

Unitedhealth (UNH) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Unitedhealth (UNH) 22.3x, Shopify (SHOP) 89.5x, Centene (CNC) 24.1x). On next year's consensus earnings, Centene (CNC) is cheapest (Unitedhealth (UNH) 18.5x, Shopify (SHOP) 77.3x, Centene (CNC) 13.6x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Shopify (SHOP) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Unitedhealth (UNH) +3.3%, Shopify (SHOP) +32.5%, Centene (CNC) +9.7%.

Which company is more profitable?

Shopify (SHOP) has the highest net margin (Unitedhealth (UNH) 3.5%, Shopify (SHOP) 15.0%, Centene (CNC) 0.7%). On return on invested capital, Unitedhealth (UNH) leads (Unitedhealth (UNH) 11.3%, Centene (CNC) 2.0%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Centene (CNC) returned the most: Unitedhealth (UNH) +20.6%, Shopify (SHOP) -11.8%, Centene (CNC) +101.3%. Over five years, Centene (CNC) compounded fastest (Unitedhealth (UNH) -2.8%/yr, Shopify (SHOP) -1.2%/yr, Centene (CNC) 0.0%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Only one of these companies pays a dividend: Unitedhealth (UNH) 0.02%, Shopify (SHOP) 0.00%, Centene (CNC) 0.00%. Shopify (SHOP) and Centene (CNC) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Unitedhealth (UNH) has been the steadiest (Unitedhealth (UNH) 36.0%, Shopify (SHOP) 60.3%, Centene (CNC) 47.0%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, UNH, SHOP and CNC?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Unitedhealth (UNH) leads on 4. 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.