Unitedhealth (UNH) Return on Sales [ROS] (2009 - 2026)
Unitedhealth's Return on Sales [ROS] was 5.82% in Q3 2026, up 2.01 percentage points from 3.81% a year earlier but down 1.31 percentage points from the prior quarter.
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Analysis
Unitedhealth (UNH) Return on Sales [ROS] (2009 - 2026) Analysis & Trends
On a trailing twelve-month basis, Unitedhealth's Return on Sales [ROS] was 5.32% through Sep 30, 2026, down 0.74 percentage points year-over-year; for FY2025, it was 4.24%, down 3.83 percentage points from FY2024.
- Return on Sales [ROS] has now declined for three consecutive years, with a five-year change of -4.48 percentage points (FY2020 to FY2025).
- In earlier years, Return on Sales [ROS] was 8.07% in FY2024 (-0.64 pp), 8.71% in FY2023 (-0.06 pp), 8.77% in FY2022 (+0.44 pp) and 8.33% in FY2021 (-0.38 pp).
- Quarterly Return on Sales [ROS] has moved between 0.34% (Q4 2025) and 9.23% (Q3 2023) over five years.
- Compared with a year earlier, Return on Sales [ROS] was higher in three of the last eight quarters, with an average year-over-year change of -1.42 percentage points.
- The best year-over-year quarter for Return on Sales [ROS] over five years was Q2 2026 (a gain of 2.52 percentage points); the worst was Q4 2025 (a drop of 7.38 percentage points).
- Per Business Quant data, UNH's Return on Sales [ROS] in the three quarters before Q3 2026 was 7.13% (Q2 2026), 8.05% (Q1 2026) and 0.34% (Q4 2025).
Peer Set
Peer Comparison
| # | Company | Market Cap | Enterprise Value | Gross Profit (Qtr) | ROS (Qtr) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Unitedhealth | 365.22 Bn | 251.88 Bn | 35.71 Bn | 5.82% |
| 2 | Mckesson | 127.33 Bn | 111.26 Bn | 3.96 Bn | 1.45% |
| 3 | Cvs Health | 114.34 Bn | 63.29 Bn | 47.21 Bn | 3.29% |
| 4 | Elevance Health | 92.86 Bn | -49.61 Bn | 13.65 Bn | 4.18% |
| 5 | Cigna | 78.25 Bn | 47.45 Bn | 15.09 Bn | 3.25% |
| 6 | Cencora | 68.51 Bn | 68.51 Bn | 3.60 Bn | - |
| 7 | Cardinal Health | 64.97 Bn | 48.29 Bn | 2.60 Bn | 1.12% |
| 8 | Humana | 54.10 Bn | -36.68 Bn | 4.83 Bn | 0.18% |
| 9 | Centene | 35.04 Bn | -39.00 Bn | 8.24 Bn | -3.51% |
| 10 | Molina Healthcare | 10.90 Bn | -24.10 Bn | 1.36 Bn | 0.96% |
Historic Data
Download Data
Historic Data
| Date | Value |
|---|---|
| Sep 30, 2026 | 5.82% |
| Jun 30, 2026 | 7.13% |
| Mar 31, 2026 | 8.05% |
| Dec 31, 2025 | 0.34% |
| Sep 30, 2025 | 3.81% |
| Jun 30, 2025 | 4.61% |
| Mar 31, 2025 | 8.32% |
| Dec 31, 2024 | 7.71% |
| Sep 30, 2024 | 8.64% |
| Jun 30, 2024 | 7.97% |
| Mar 31, 2024 | 7.95% |
| Dec 31, 2023 | 8.14% |
| Sep 30, 2023 | 9.23% |
| Jun 30, 2023 | 8.67% |
| Mar 31, 2023 | 8.80% |
| Dec 31, 2022 | 8.32% |
| Sep 30, 2022 | 9.22% |
| Jun 30, 2022 | 8.88% |
| Mar 31, 2022 | 8.67% |
| Dec 31, 2021 | 7.51% |
API Access
Unitedhealth Return on Sales [ROS] API
Pull this series into your own models, spreadsheets and apps with the Business Quant
Historical Metrics API. The request below matches the chart above — change the
frequency, period or values and it follows. Swap YOUR_API_KEY for your own key.
https://data.businessquant.com/historic?slug=return-on-sales-%5Bros%5D&ticker=UNH&period=max&api_key=YOUR_API_KEYimport requests
url = "https://data.businessquant.com/historic"
params = {"slug": "return-on-sales-[ros]", "ticker": "UNH", "period": "max", "api_key": "YOUR_API_KEY"}
data = requests.get(url, params=params).json()const res = await fetch("https://data.businessquant.com/historic?slug=return-on-sales-%5Bros%5D&ticker=UNH&period=max&api_key=YOUR_API_KEY");
const data = await res.json();