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UnitedHealth Group (UNH) Competitors

UnitedHealth Group logo
$377.48 -10.99 (-2.83%)
As of 05/26/2026 03:58 PM Eastern

UNH vs. ALKS, MEDP, CI, CNC, and CVS

Should you buy UnitedHealth Group stock or one of its competitors? MarketBeat compares UnitedHealth Group with other companies and stocks that may be similar based on industry, sector, market capitalization, business model, investor interest, or shared news coverage. Companies and stocks commonly compared with UnitedHealth Group include Alkermes (ALKS), Medpace (MEDP), Cigna Group (CI), Centene (CNC), and CVS Health (CVS). These companies are all part of the "medical" sector.

How does UnitedHealth Group compare to Alkermes?

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

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$1.48B4.22$241.66M$0.9041.50
UnitedHealth Group$447.57B0.77$12.06B$13.2428.51

95.2% of Alkermes shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 87.9% of UnitedHealth Group shares are owned by institutional investors. 4.6% of Alkermes shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.3% of UnitedHealth Group shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Alkermes has a net margin of 9.78% compared to UnitedHealth Group's net margin of 2.68%. UnitedHealth Group's return on equity of 14.65% beat Alkermes' return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
Alkermes9.78% 9.26% 5.66%
UnitedHealth Group 2.68%14.65%4.77%

Alkermes has a beta of 0.31, meaning that its stock price is 69% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, UnitedHealth Group has a beta of 0.64, meaning that its stock price is 36% less volatile than the broader market.

Alkermes currently has a consensus target price of $45.40, suggesting a potential upside of 21.55%. UnitedHealth Group has a consensus target price of $390.00, suggesting a potential upside of 3.32%. Given Alkermes' stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Alkermes is more favorable than UnitedHealth Group.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
Alkermes
0 Sell rating(s)
5 Hold rating(s)
11 Buy rating(s)
1 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.76
UnitedHealth Group
1 Sell rating(s)
6 Hold rating(s)
19 Buy rating(s)
1 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.74

In the previous week, UnitedHealth Group had 71 more articles in the media than Alkermes. MarketBeat recorded 78 mentions for UnitedHealth Group and 7 mentions for Alkermes. UnitedHealth Group's average media sentiment score of 1.18 beat Alkermes' score of 0.49 indicating that UnitedHealth Group is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
Alkermes
3 Very Positive mention(s)
0 Positive mention(s)
3 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Neutral
UnitedHealth Group
52 Very Positive mention(s)
5 Positive mention(s)
11 Neutral mention(s)
1 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive

Summary

Alkermes and UnitedHealth Group tied by winning 8 of the 16 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does UnitedHealth Group compare to Medpace?

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

Medpace has a net margin of 17.19% compared to UnitedHealth Group's net margin of 2.68%. Medpace's return on equity of 120.89% beat UnitedHealth Group's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
UnitedHealth Group2.68% 14.65% 4.77%
Medpace 17.19%120.89%24.79%

UnitedHealth Group has a beta of 0.64, suggesting that its share price is 36% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Medpace has a beta of 1.19, suggesting that its share price is 19% more volatile than the broader market.

87.9% of UnitedHealth Group shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 78.0% of Medpace shares are held by institutional investors. 0.3% of UnitedHealth Group shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 20.5% of Medpace shares are held by company 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 higher revenue and earnings than Medpace. Medpace 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$447.57B0.77$12.06B$13.2428.51
Medpace$2.68B4.58$451.12M$15.9126.97

In the previous week, UnitedHealth Group had 49 more articles in the media than Medpace. MarketBeat recorded 78 mentions for UnitedHealth Group and 29 mentions for Medpace. UnitedHealth Group's average media sentiment score of 1.18 beat Medpace's score of 0.17 indicating that UnitedHealth Group is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
UnitedHealth Group
52 Very Positive mention(s)
5 Positive mention(s)
11 Neutral mention(s)
1 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive
Medpace
3 Very Positive mention(s)
0 Positive mention(s)
26 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Neutral

UnitedHealth Group presently has a consensus price target of $390.00, suggesting a potential upside of 3.32%. Medpace has a consensus price target of $467.08, suggesting a potential upside of 8.85%. Given Medpace's higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Medpace is more favorable than UnitedHealth Group.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
UnitedHealth Group
1 Sell rating(s)
6 Hold rating(s)
19 Buy rating(s)
1 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.74
Medpace
1 Sell rating(s)
10 Hold rating(s)
4 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.20

Summary

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

How does UnitedHealth Group compare to Cigna Group?

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

UnitedHealth Group has a net margin of 2.68% compared to Cigna Group's net margin of 2.26%. 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
Cigna Group2.26% 19.75% 5.30%
UnitedHealth Group 2.68%14.65%4.77%

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
Cigna Group$274.90B0.27$5.96B$23.5911.92
UnitedHealth Group$447.57B0.77$12.06B$13.2428.51

Cigna Group pays an annual dividend of $6.24 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.2%. UnitedHealth Group pays an annual dividend of $8.84 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.3%. Cigna Group pays out 26.5% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. UnitedHealth Group pays out 66.8% 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. Cigna Group has increased its dividend for 5 consecutive years and UnitedHealth Group has increased its dividend for 15 consecutive years. UnitedHealth Group is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

In the previous week, UnitedHealth Group had 60 more articles in the media than Cigna Group. MarketBeat recorded 78 mentions for UnitedHealth Group and 18 mentions for Cigna Group. Cigna Group's average media sentiment score of 1.29 beat UnitedHealth Group's score of 1.18 indicating that Cigna Group is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
Cigna Group
14 Very Positive mention(s)
2 Positive mention(s)
1 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive
UnitedHealth Group
52 Very Positive mention(s)
5 Positive mention(s)
11 Neutral mention(s)
1 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive

Cigna Group currently has a consensus target price of $339.50, indicating a potential upside of 20.72%. UnitedHealth Group has a consensus target price of $390.00, indicating a potential upside of 3.32%. Given Cigna Group's stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, equities analysts clearly believe Cigna Group is more favorable than UnitedHealth Group.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
Cigna Group
0 Sell rating(s)
6 Hold rating(s)
14 Buy rating(s)
1 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.76
UnitedHealth Group
1 Sell rating(s)
6 Hold rating(s)
19 Buy rating(s)
1 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.74

87.0% of Cigna Group shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 87.9% of UnitedHealth Group shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.6% of Cigna Group shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 0.3% of UnitedHealth Group shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Cigna Group has a beta of 0.3, indicating that its share price is 70% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, UnitedHealth Group has a beta of 0.64, indicating that its share price is 36% less volatile than the broader market.

Summary

UnitedHealth Group beats Cigna Group on 11 of the 19 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 medical companies, but which is the better investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their profitability, media sentiment, valuation, dividends, institutional ownership, earnings, risk and analyst recommendations.

87.9% of UnitedHealth Group shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 93.6% of Centene shares are held by institutional investors. 0.3% of UnitedHealth Group shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.4% of Centene shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

UnitedHealth Group has a beta of 0.64, indicating that its share price is 36% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Centene has a beta of 1.06, indicating that its share price is 6% more volatile than the broader market.

UnitedHealth Group has a net margin of 2.68% compared to Centene's net margin of -3.25%. UnitedHealth Group's return on equity of 14.65% beat Centene's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
UnitedHealth Group2.68% 14.65% 4.77%
Centene -3.25%5.57%1.54%

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$447.57B0.77$12.06B$13.2428.51
Centene$194.78B0.14-$6.67B-$13.14N/A

In the previous week, UnitedHealth Group had 73 more articles in the media than Centene. MarketBeat recorded 78 mentions for UnitedHealth Group and 5 mentions for Centene. UnitedHealth Group's average media sentiment score of 1.18 beat Centene's score of 0.57 indicating that UnitedHealth Group is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
UnitedHealth Group
52 Very Positive mention(s)
5 Positive mention(s)
11 Neutral mention(s)
1 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive
Centene
0 Very Positive mention(s)
1 Positive mention(s)
2 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive

UnitedHealth Group presently has a consensus target price of $390.00, suggesting a potential upside of 3.32%. Centene has a consensus target price of $57.65, suggesting a potential upside of 0.80%. 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
1 Sell rating(s)
6 Hold rating(s)
19 Buy rating(s)
1 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.74
Centene
2 Sell rating(s)
9 Hold rating(s)
7 Buy rating(s)
1 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.37

Summary

UnitedHealth Group beats Centene on 13 of the 16 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does UnitedHealth Group compare to CVS Health?

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

UnitedHealth Group pays an annual dividend of $8.84 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.3%. CVS Health pays an annual dividend of $2.66 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.9%. UnitedHealth Group pays out 66.8% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. CVS Health pays out 117.2% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. UnitedHealth Group has increased its dividend for 15 consecutive years and CVS Health has increased its dividend for 4 consecutive years.

In the previous week, UnitedHealth Group had 21 more articles in the media than CVS Health. MarketBeat recorded 78 mentions for UnitedHealth Group and 57 mentions for CVS Health. UnitedHealth Group's average media sentiment score of 1.18 beat CVS Health's score of 0.84 indicating that UnitedHealth Group is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
UnitedHealth Group
52 Very Positive mention(s)
5 Positive mention(s)
11 Neutral mention(s)
1 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive
CVS Health
35 Very Positive mention(s)
9 Positive mention(s)
8 Neutral mention(s)
1 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive

UnitedHealth Group currently has a consensus price target of $390.00, suggesting a potential upside of 3.32%. CVS Health has a consensus price target of $98.88, suggesting a potential upside of 8.73%. Given CVS Health's stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe CVS Health is more favorable than UnitedHealth Group.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
UnitedHealth Group
1 Sell rating(s)
6 Hold rating(s)
19 Buy rating(s)
1 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.74
CVS Health
0 Sell rating(s)
4 Hold rating(s)
22 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.85

87.9% of UnitedHealth Group shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 80.7% of CVS Health shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.3% of UnitedHealth Group shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.9% of CVS Health shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

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

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
UnitedHealth Group$447.57B0.77$12.06B$13.2428.51
CVS Health$402.07B0.29$1.77B$2.2740.06

UnitedHealth Group has a beta of 0.64, meaning that its stock price is 36% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, CVS Health has a beta of 0.6, meaning that its stock price is 40% less volatile than the broader market.

UnitedHealth Group has a net margin of 2.68% compared to CVS Health's net margin of 0.72%. UnitedHealth Group's return on equity of 14.65% beat CVS Health's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
UnitedHealth Group2.68% 14.65% 4.77%
CVS Health 0.72%11.88%3.54%

Summary

UnitedHealth Group beats CVS Health on 14 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 GroupMED IndustryMedical SectorNYSE Exchange
Market Cap$352.79B$50.65B$6.46B$23.18B
Dividend Yield2.28%1.78%2.76%4.09%
P/E Ratio28.5122.6021.0731.06
Price / Sales0.770.63555.7424.64
Price / Cash18.2723.2243.4925.06
Price / Book3.302.5110.364.78
Net Income$12.06B$1.46B$3.56B$1.07B
7 Day Performance-1.52%1.80%2.34%1.74%
1 Month Performance6.44%9.64%2.03%1.35%
1 Year Performance27.96%-9.12%35.50%27.44%

UnitedHealth Group Competitors List

CompanyMarketRankShare PriceAnalysts' Price Target1Y Price PerformanceMarket CapRevenueP/E RatioEmployee CountIndicator(s)
UNH
UnitedHealth Group
4.2722 of 5 stars
$377.48
-2.8%
$390.00
+3.3%
+27.8%$352.79B$447.57B28.51390,000
ALKS
Alkermes
3.0237 of 5 stars
$36.95
-0.1%
$45.40
+22.9%
+27.3%$6.16B$1.48B41.062,050
MEDP
Medpace
2.9343 of 5 stars
$430.10
+2.0%
$467.08
+8.6%
+45.5%$12.28B$2.53B27.036,200
CI
Cigna Group
4.9564 of 5 stars
$281.84
-0.4%
$338.55
+20.1%
-11.1%$74.56B$274.90B11.9567,700
CNC
Centene
3.3246 of 5 stars
$57.72
-1.0%
$56.59
-2.0%
+1.4%$28.50B$194.78BN/A61,100

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This page (NYSE:UNH) was last updated on 5/27/2026 by MarketBeat.com Staff.
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