AMPH
Amphastar Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
AMPH offers stronger valuation, but that advantage does not outweigh its weaker overall profile.
UNH
UnitedHealth Group Incorporated
UNH has a slight edge over AMPH overall, supported by stronger modeled upside and lower modeled downside.
AMPH Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Stable | |
| Healthy | |
| Strong | |
| Stable |
AMPH's profitability and cash flow are currently healthy, and its revenue and balance sheet are stable.
UNH Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Stable | |
| Stable | |
| Healthy | |
| Healthy |
UNH's cash flow and balance sheet are currently healthy, and its revenue and profitability are stable.
AMPH PE Valuation
| Level | PE | Price | Vs current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forward | 8.8x | $28.87 | — |
| Cheap | 12x | $25.21 | -13% |
| Current | 13x | $28.87 | — |
| Fair | 19x | $40.83 | +41% |
| Expensive | 89x | $196 | +578% |
Historical ranges are pointers, not guarantees.
AMPH has the edge over UNH in the historical PE scenario, which offers more potential upside but is not a forecast.
UNH PE Valuation
| Level | PE | Price | Vs current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forward | 18x | $405 | — |
| Cheap | 19x | $325 | -20% |
| Fair | 23x | $410 | +1.2% |
| Current | 23x | $405 | — |
| Expensive | 30x | $526 | +30% |
Historical ranges are pointers, not guarantees.
UNH's PE is in its fair range at 23x. If earnings grow as analysts expect, today's price would be 18x next year's earnings, in its cheap range.
AMPH Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| Strongly improving | |
| Growth | |
| Growth | |
| Stable | |
| Limited | |
| Low |
Analysts expect earnings and revenue growth for AMPH, with profitability holding steady. However, they disagree widely on these estimates.
UNH Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| Strongly improving | |
| Strong growth | |
| Stable | |
| Improving | |
| Moderate | |
| Low |
Analysts expect UNH's earnings to grow and its profitability to improve, with its revenue holding steady. However, they disagree widely on these estimates.
AMPH Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Forward | $3.28 | +50% |
| Q3 2026 | $2.19 | -3.1% |
| Q2 2026 | $1.69 | -37% |
| Q1 2026 | $1.66 | -40% |
| Q4 2025 | $2.03 | -34% |
| Q3 2025 | $2.26 | -25% |
| Q2 2025 | $2.67 | -15% |
| Q1 2025 | $2.76 | -5.2% |
| Q4 2024 | $3.06 | +18% |
AMPH's earnings per share have fallen from their peak: $2.19 over the past year, against $3.15 in mid-2024.
UNH Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Forward | $22.65 | +29% |
| Q3 2026 | $17.55 | -8.5% |
| Q2 2026 | $15.58 | -33% |
| Q1 2026 | $13.28 | -44% |
| Q4 2025 | $13.23 | -15% |
| Q3 2025 | $19.17 | +25% |
| Q2 2025 | $23.09 | +53% |
| Q1 2025 | $23.89 | +46% |
| Q4 2024 | $15.51 | -35% |
UNH has the edge over AMPH on earnings, with more consistent year-over-year improvement.
AMPH Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $207.6M | +8.2% |
| Q2 2026 | $183.9M | +5.4% |
| Q1 2026 | $171.2M | +0.4% |
| Q4 2025 | $183.1M | -1.8% |
| Q3 2025 | $191.8M | +0.3% |
| Q2 2025 | $174.4M | -4.4% |
| Q1 2025 | $170.5M | -0.8% |
| Q4 2024 | $186.5M | +4.7% |
AMPH's revenue grew through 2024 and has held roughly level since: $208M last quarter, up 8.2% from the same quarter a year ago.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 24% | +11 points |
| Q2 2026 | 22% | -2.6 points |
| Q1 2026 | 8% | -14 points |
| Q4 2025 | 19% | -4.8 points |
| Q3 2025 | 13% | -17 points |
| Q2 2025 | 24% | -6.1 points |
| Q1 2025 | 22% | -6.1 points |
| Q4 2024 | 24% | -6.1 points |
AMPH has the edge over UNH on profitability, with a higher operating margin.
UNH Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $112.7B | -0.4% |
| Q2 2026 | $112B | +0.4% |
| Q1 2026 | $111.7B | +2% |
| Q4 2025 | $113.2B | +12% |
| Q3 2025 | $113.2B | +12% |
| Q2 2025 | $111.6B | +13% |
| Q1 2025 | $109.6B | +9.8% |
| Q4 2024 | $100.8B | +6.8% |
UNH has the edge over AMPH on sales, with more consistent year-over-year improvement.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 5.8% | +2 points |
| Q2 2026 | 7.1% | +2.5 points |
| Q1 2026 | 8.1% | -0.3 points |
| Q4 2025 | 0.3% | -7.4 points |
| Q3 2025 | 3.8% | -4.8 points |
| Q2 2025 | 4.6% | -3.4 points |
| Q1 2025 | 8.3% | +0.4 points |
| Q4 2024 | 7.7% | -0.4 points |
UNH's operating margin was 5.8% last quarter, up 2 points from the same quarter a year ago.
AMPH Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $33.4M | -29% |
| Q2 2026 | $42.7M | +71% |
| Q1 2026 | $38.3M | +57% |
| Q4 2025 | $24.6M | +48% |
| Q3 2025 | $47.2M | +2.3% |
| Q2 2025 | $25M | -60% |
| Q1 2025 | $24.4M | -48% |
| Q4 2024 | $16.6M | +15% |
AMPH generated $139M in free cash flow over the past year, up 23% from the year before.
UNH Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $4.3B | -16% |
| Q2 2026 | $10.3B | +63% |
| Q1 2026 | $8.1B | +79% |
| Q4 2025 | $160M | -89% |
| Q3 2025 | $5.1B | -61% |
| Q2 2025 | $6.3B | +6.9% |
| Q1 2025 | $4.6B | +1037% |
| Q4 2024 | $1.5B | +$7.6B |
UNH still generates free cash flow, though less than at its 2022 peak: $22.8B over the past year.
AMPH Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | -1.9% | -848K shares |
| 1 year | -9% | -4.3M shares |
| 3 years | -20% | -10.5M shares |
| 5 years | -13% | -6.6M shares |
| Available history | -7.4% | -3.5M shares |
AMPH has the edge over UNH on shareholder dilution, with a more favorable share count trend.
| Quarter | Spent |
|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $438,000 |
| Q2 2026 | $45.2M |
| Q1 2026 | $29.5M |
| Q4 2025 | $20.5M |
| Q3 2025 | $4.9M |
| Q2 2025 | $39.2M |
| Q1 2025 | $11M |
| Q4 2024 | $42M |
AMPH spent $96M buying back its own shares over the past year, down 1.5% from the year before.
UNH Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | -0.4% | -4M shares |
| 1 year | -0.7% | -6M shares |
| 3 years | -3.6% | -34M shares |
| 5 years | -5.5% | -53M shares |
| Available history | -6.6% | -64M shares |
UNH has 902M diluted shares, down 0.7% from a year ago, with $5B in buybacks over the past year.
| Quarter | Spent |
|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $3.4B |
| Q2 2026 | $1.6B |
| Q1 2026 | — |
| Q4 2025 | — |
| Q3 2025 | — |
| Q2 2025 | $2.5B |
| Q1 2025 | $3B |
| Q4 2024 | $5B |
UNH spent $5B buying back its own shares over the past year, down 52% from the year before.
AMPH Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 2.1x | Moderate |
| Q2 2026 | 2.3x | Moderate |
| Q1 2026 | 2.5x | Moderate |
| Q4 2025 | 2.3x | Moderate |
| Q3 2025 | 1.9x | Healthy |
| Q2 2025 | 1.8x | Healthy |
| Q1 2025 | 1.8x | Healthy |
| Q4 2024 | 1.9x | Healthy |
AMPH's net debt is about 2.1 years of its operating earnings (EBITDA), up from 1.9 years a year ago.
UNH Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 1.7x | Healthy |
| Q2 2026 | 1.7x | Healthy |
| Q1 2026 | 2.2x | Moderate |
| Q4 2025 | 2.3x | Moderate |
| Q3 2025 | 1.7x | Healthy |
| Q2 2025 | 1.5x | Healthy |
| Q1 2025 | 1.3x | Healthy |
| Q4 2024 | 1.4x | Healthy |
UNH has the edge over AMPH on leverage, with a lower net debt burden relative to earnings.
AMPH Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 67.2 | Neutral |
| Stochastic | 86.2 | Overbought |
AMPH's weekly RSI is 67 (neutral) and its Stochastic is 86 (overbought).
UNH Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 56.4 | Neutral |
| Stochastic | 60.0 | Neutral |
UNH's weekly RSI is 56 (neutral) and its Stochastic is 60 (neutral).
AMPH PE vs Healthcare Sector
| Metric | AMPH | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 13x | 26x | 49% below |
| PE % | 25 | 29 | 4 pts below |
AMPH has the edge over UNH on valuation relative to its sector.
UNH PE vs Healthcare Sector
| Metric | UNH | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 23x | 26x | 11% below |
| PE % | 47 | 29 | 18 pts above |
UNH is trading at 23x earnings, a 11% discount to the Healthcare sector's median of 26x.
AMPH Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $26.8 | 7.8% above |
| 20 week MA | $23.4 | 24% above |
| 50 week MA | $23.0 | 26% above |
| 100 week MA | $25.3 | 14% above |
| 200 week MA | $35.8 | 19% below |
AMPH has bounced recently, but its long-term trend is still down: it's above its 8-, 20-, 50- and 100-week averages, but 19% below its 200-week average.
UNH Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $394.2 | 2.8% above |
| 20 week MA | $400.5 | 1.2% above |
| 50 week MA | $361.2 | 12% above |
| 100 week MA | $376.0 | 7.8% above |
| 200 week MA | $446.6 | 9.3% below |
UNH has bounced recently, but its long-term trend is still down: it's above its 8-, 20-, 50- and 100-week averages, but 9.3% below its 200-week average.
AMPH Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $19.2 | $19.1 | -0.3% |
| 2021 | $19.1 | $22.6 | +18% |
| 2022 | $22.6 | $28.7 | +27% |
| 2023 | $28.7 | $61.9 | +116% |
| 2024 | $61.9 | $37.8 | -39% |
| 2025 | $37.8 | $27.1 | -28% |
| 2026 YTD | $27.1 | $28.9 | +6.5% |
AMPH has finished lower in three of the last six years. It's up 6.5% so far in 2026.
UNH Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $296.0 | $340.8 | +15% |
| 2021 | $340.8 | $495.4 | +45% |
| 2022 | $495.4 | $531.3 | +7.3% |
| 2023 | $531.3 | $526.5 | -0.9% |
| 2024 | $526.5 | $510.0 | -3.1% |
| 2025 | $510.0 | $331.8 | -35% |
| 2026 YTD | $331.8 | $405.1 | +22% |
UNH has the edge over AMPH on returns for 2026, with the stronger performance.