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UnitedHealth Group (UNH) Competitors

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$401.52 +2.47 (+0.62%)
Closing price 08/14/2026 03:59 PM Eastern
Extended Trading
$401.79 +0.27 (+0.07%)
As of 08/14/2026 07:59 PM Eastern
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UNH vs. ALKS, MEDP, CI, CNC, and CVS

Should you buy UnitedHealth Group stock or one of its competitors? UnitedHealth Group's main competitors and comparable companies include Alkermes (ALKS), Medpace (MEDP), Cigna Group (CI), Centene (CNC), and CVS Health (CVS). Companies are selected based on similarities in market, industry, and size. These companies are all part of the "healthcare" sector.

How does UnitedHealth Group compare to Alkermes?

Alkermes (NASDAQ:ALKS) and UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) are both healthcare companies, but which is the better investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their media sentiment, profitability, valuation, institutional ownership, risk, dividends, earnings and analyst recommendations.

Alkermes has a beta of 0.34, meaning that its share price is 66% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, UnitedHealth Group has a beta of 0.62, meaning that its share price is 38% less volatile than the broader market.

Alkermes currently has a consensus price target of $54.56, indicating a potential upside of 11.22%. UnitedHealth Group has a consensus price target of $455.92, indicating a potential upside of 13.55%. Given UnitedHealth Group's stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe UnitedHealth Group is more favorable than Alkermes.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
Alkermes
1 Sell rating(s)
4 Hold rating(s)
12 Buy rating(s)
1 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.72
UnitedHealth Group
0 Sell rating(s)
5 Hold rating(s)
20 Buy rating(s)
2 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.89

95.2% of Alkermes shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 87.9% of UnitedHealth Group shares are held by institutional investors. 4.6% of Alkermes shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.2% of UnitedHealth Group shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

In the previous week, UnitedHealth Group had 26 more articles in the media than Alkermes. MarketBeat recorded 35 mentions for UnitedHealth Group and 9 mentions for Alkermes. Alkermes' average media sentiment score of 1.60 beat UnitedHealth Group's score of 0.76 indicating that Alkermes is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
Alkermes
8 Very Positive mention(s)
0 Positive mention(s)
0 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Very Positive
UnitedHealth Group
23 Very Positive mention(s)
4 Positive mention(s)
1 Neutral mention(s)
4 Negative mention(s)
2 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive

UnitedHealth Group has higher revenue and earnings than Alkermes. UnitedHealth Group is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Alkermes, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
Alkermes$1.67B4.94$241.66M$0.38129.11
UnitedHealth Group$450.13B0.80$12.06B$15.5425.84

Alkermes has a net margin of 3.96% compared to UnitedHealth Group's net margin of 3.14%. UnitedHealth Group's return on equity of 16.53% beat Alkermes' return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
Alkermes3.96% 4.15% 2.19%
UnitedHealth Group 3.14%16.53%5.43%

Summary

UnitedHealth Group beats Alkermes on 11 of the 17 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does UnitedHealth Group compare to Medpace?

Medpace (NASDAQ:MEDP) and UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) are both large-cap healthcare companies, but which is the better business? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their earnings, media sentiment, risk, valuation, profitability, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership and dividends.

UnitedHealth Group has higher revenue and earnings than Medpace. UnitedHealth Group is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Medpace, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
Medpace$2.53B6.38$451.12M$17.0633.91
UnitedHealth Group$450.13B0.80$12.06B$15.5425.84

Medpace presently has a consensus target price of $584.18, indicating a potential upside of 0.98%. UnitedHealth Group has a consensus target price of $455.92, indicating a potential upside of 13.55%. Given UnitedHealth Group's stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe UnitedHealth Group is more favorable than Medpace.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
Medpace
0 Sell rating(s)
10 Hold rating(s)
3 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.23
UnitedHealth Group
0 Sell rating(s)
5 Hold rating(s)
20 Buy rating(s)
2 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.89

Medpace has a beta of 1.15, indicating that its stock price is 15% more volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, UnitedHealth Group has a beta of 0.62, indicating that its stock price is 38% less volatile than the broader market.

78.0% of Medpace shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 87.9% of UnitedHealth Group shares are owned by institutional investors. 20.5% of Medpace shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 0.2% of UnitedHealth Group shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

In the previous week, UnitedHealth Group had 9 more articles in the media than Medpace. MarketBeat recorded 35 mentions for UnitedHealth Group and 26 mentions for Medpace. UnitedHealth Group's average media sentiment score of 0.76 beat Medpace's score of 0.69 indicating that UnitedHealth Group is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
Medpace
15 Very Positive mention(s)
1 Positive mention(s)
4 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive
UnitedHealth Group
23 Very Positive mention(s)
4 Positive mention(s)
1 Neutral mention(s)
4 Negative mention(s)
2 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive

Medpace has a net margin of 17.67% compared to UnitedHealth Group's net margin of 3.14%. Medpace's return on equity of 110.15% beat UnitedHealth Group's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
Medpace17.67% 110.15% 24.84%
UnitedHealth Group 3.14%16.53%5.43%

Summary

UnitedHealth Group beats Medpace on 9 of the 17 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does UnitedHealth Group compare to Cigna Group?

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) and Cigna Group (NYSE:CI) are both large-cap healthcare companies, but which is the superior investment? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their institutional ownership, media sentiment, valuation, dividends, profitability, earnings, analyst recommendations and risk.

87.9% of UnitedHealth Group shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 87.0% of Cigna Group shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.2% of UnitedHealth Group shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 0.6% of Cigna Group shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

UnitedHealth Group has a net margin of 3.14% compared to Cigna Group's net margin of 2.27%. Cigna Group's return on equity of 19.75% beat UnitedHealth Group's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
UnitedHealth Group3.14% 16.53% 5.43%
Cigna Group 2.27%19.75%5.34%

UnitedHealth Group presently has a consensus price target of $455.92, suggesting a potential upside of 13.55%. Cigna Group has a consensus price target of $339.45, suggesting a potential upside of 20.27%. Given Cigna Group's higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Cigna Group is more favorable than UnitedHealth Group.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
UnitedHealth Group
0 Sell rating(s)
5 Hold rating(s)
20 Buy rating(s)
2 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.89
Cigna Group
0 Sell rating(s)
7 Hold rating(s)
15 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.68

UnitedHealth Group has higher revenue and earnings than Cigna Group. Cigna Group is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than UnitedHealth Group, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
UnitedHealth Group$450.13B0.80$12.06B$15.5425.84
Cigna Group$274.90B0.27$5.96B$24.1711.68

UnitedHealth Group pays an annual dividend of $9.28 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.3%. Cigna Group pays an annual dividend of $6.24 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.2%. UnitedHealth Group pays out 59.7% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Cigna Group pays out 25.8% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. UnitedHealth Group has increased its dividend for 15 consecutive years and Cigna Group has increased its dividend for 5 consecutive years. UnitedHealth Group is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

UnitedHealth Group has a beta of 0.62, suggesting that its share price is 38% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Cigna Group has a beta of 0.29, suggesting that its share price is 71% less volatile than the broader market.

In the previous week, UnitedHealth Group had 18 more articles in the media than Cigna Group. MarketBeat recorded 35 mentions for UnitedHealth Group and 17 mentions for Cigna Group. Cigna Group's average media sentiment score of 1.16 beat UnitedHealth Group's score of 0.76 indicating that Cigna Group is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
UnitedHealth Group
23 Very Positive mention(s)
4 Positive mention(s)
1 Neutral mention(s)
4 Negative mention(s)
2 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive
Cigna Group
14 Very Positive mention(s)
1 Positive mention(s)
2 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive

Summary

UnitedHealth Group beats Cigna Group on 14 of the 20 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does UnitedHealth Group compare to Centene?

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) and Centene (NYSE:CNC) are both large-cap healthcare companies, but which is the superior business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, profitability, media sentiment, risk, valuation, institutional ownership, analyst recommendations and earnings.

UnitedHealth Group has a net margin of 3.14% compared to Centene's net margin of -2.51%. UnitedHealth Group's return on equity of 16.53% beat Centene's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
UnitedHealth Group3.14% 16.53% 5.43%
Centene -2.51%12.12%3.20%

UnitedHealth Group has a beta of 0.62, indicating that its share price is 38% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Centene has a beta of 1.08, indicating that its share price is 8% more volatile than the broader market.

UnitedHealth Group presently has a consensus price target of $455.92, indicating a potential upside of 13.55%. Centene has a consensus price target of $69.15, indicating a potential upside of 2.40%. Given UnitedHealth Group's stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe UnitedHealth Group is more favorable than Centene.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
UnitedHealth Group
0 Sell rating(s)
5 Hold rating(s)
20 Buy rating(s)
2 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.89
Centene
2 Sell rating(s)
9 Hold rating(s)
8 Buy rating(s)
1 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.40

UnitedHealth Group has higher revenue and earnings than Centene. Centene is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than UnitedHealth Group, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
UnitedHealth Group$450.13B0.80$12.06B$15.5425.84
Centene$202.94B0.16-$6.67B-$10.44N/A

In the previous week, UnitedHealth Group had 20 more articles in the media than Centene. MarketBeat recorded 35 mentions for UnitedHealth Group and 15 mentions for Centene. Centene's average media sentiment score of 0.87 beat UnitedHealth Group's score of 0.76 indicating that Centene is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
UnitedHealth Group
23 Very Positive mention(s)
4 Positive mention(s)
1 Neutral mention(s)
4 Negative mention(s)
2 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive
Centene
6 Very Positive mention(s)
1 Positive mention(s)
7 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive

87.9% of UnitedHealth Group shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 93.6% of Centene shares are held by institutional investors. 0.2% of UnitedHealth Group shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 0.4% of Centene shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Summary

UnitedHealth Group beats Centene on 13 of the 17 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does UnitedHealth Group compare to CVS Health?

CVS Health (NYSE:CVS) and UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) are both large-cap healthcare companies, but which is the superior stock? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their media sentiment, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, earnings, valuation, profitability, risk and dividends.

UnitedHealth Group has a net margin of 3.14% compared to CVS Health's net margin of 1.18%. UnitedHealth Group's return on equity of 16.53% beat CVS Health's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
CVS Health1.18% 13.12% 3.95%
UnitedHealth Group 3.14%16.53%5.43%

80.7% of CVS Health shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 87.9% of UnitedHealth Group shares are held by institutional investors. 0.9% of CVS Health shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.2% of UnitedHealth Group shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

UnitedHealth Group has higher revenue and earnings than CVS Health. CVS Health is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than UnitedHealth Group, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
CVS Health$402.07B0.31$1.77B$3.7825.69
UnitedHealth Group$450.13B0.80$12.06B$15.5425.84

CVS Health has a beta of 0.61, indicating that its share price is 39% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, UnitedHealth Group has a beta of 0.62, indicating that its share price is 38% less volatile than the broader market.

CVS Health pays an annual dividend of $2.66 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.7%. UnitedHealth Group pays an annual dividend of $9.28 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.3%. CVS Health pays out 70.4% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. UnitedHealth Group pays out 59.7% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. CVS Health has raised its dividend for 4 consecutive years and UnitedHealth Group has raised its dividend for 15 consecutive years.

In the previous week, UnitedHealth Group had 11 more articles in the media than CVS Health. MarketBeat recorded 35 mentions for UnitedHealth Group and 24 mentions for CVS Health. CVS Health's average media sentiment score of 1.11 beat UnitedHealth Group's score of 0.76 indicating that CVS Health is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
CVS Health
17 Very Positive mention(s)
3 Positive mention(s)
2 Neutral mention(s)
1 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive
UnitedHealth Group
23 Very Positive mention(s)
4 Positive mention(s)
1 Neutral mention(s)
4 Negative mention(s)
2 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive

CVS Health presently has a consensus price target of $106.75, suggesting a potential upside of 9.95%. UnitedHealth Group has a consensus price target of $455.92, suggesting a potential upside of 13.55%. Given UnitedHealth Group's higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe UnitedHealth Group is more favorable than CVS Health.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
CVS Health
0 Sell rating(s)
2 Hold rating(s)
22 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.92
UnitedHealth Group
0 Sell rating(s)
5 Hold rating(s)
20 Buy rating(s)
2 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.89

Summary

UnitedHealth Group beats CVS Health on 15 of the 20 factors compared between the two stocks.

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New MarketBeat Followers Over Time

This chart shows the number of new MarketBeat users adding UNH and its top 5 competitors to their watchlist. Each company is represented with a line over a 90 day period.
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Media Sentiment Over Time

This chart shows the average media sentiment of NYSE and its competitors over the past 90 days as caculated by MarketBeat. The averaged score is equivalent to the following: Very Negative Sentiment <= -1.5, Negative Sentiment > -1.5 and <= -0.5, Neutral Sentiment > -0.5 and < 0.5, Positive Sentiment >= 0.5 and < 1.5, and Very Positive Sentiment >= 1.5.
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UNH vs. The Competition

MetricUnitedHealth GroupHealthcare Providers & Services IndustryHealthcare SectorNYSE Exchange
Market Cap$360.59B$9.87B$7.03B$24.33B
Dividend Yield2.33%2.55%2.57%3.68%
P/E Ratio25.8435.17271.2630.85
Price / Sales0.804.88623.0018.01
Price / Cash18.90124.2475.7032.61
Price / Book3.453.9412.926.82
Net Income$12.06B$309.96M$3.45B$1.06B
7 Day Performance-1.23%0.09%1.16%0.55%
1 Month Performance-5.14%-0.34%2.17%2.70%
1 Year Performance32.07%19.48%62.38%19.14%

UnitedHealth Group Competitors List

CompanyMarketRankShare PriceAnalysts' Price Target1Y Price PerformanceMarket CapRevenueP/E RatioEmployee CountIndicator(s)
UNH
UnitedHealth Group
4.933 of 5 stars
$401.53
+0.6%
$455.92
+13.5%
+32.1%$360.59B$450.13B25.84390,000
ALKS
Alkermes
3.168 of 5 stars
$48.37
-2.5%
$54.56
+12.8%
+68.9%$8.11B$1.48B127.292,050
MEDP
Medpace
3.5592 of 5 stars
$585.01
-0.5%
$584.18
-0.1%
+26.4%$16.33B$2.53B34.296,200
CI
Cigna Group
4.9909 of 5 stars
$275.26
+1.8%
$339.45
+23.3%
-5.0%$72.73B$274.90B11.3967,700
CNC
Centene
3.2314 of 5 stars
$64.21
-4.1%
$68.58
+6.8%
+136.9%$31.72B$194.78BN/A61,100

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This page (NYSE:UNH) was last updated on 8/16/2026 by MarketBeat.com Staff.
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