CAH
Cardinal Health, Inc.
CAH has slightly lower modeled downside risk, despite its lower overall score.
UNH
UnitedHealth Group Incorporated
UNH has a slight edge over CAH overall, supported by stronger valuation and stronger modeled upside.
CAH Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Stable | |
| Healthy | |
| Stable | |
| Healthy |
CAH's profitability and balance sheet are currently healthy, and its revenue and cash flow 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.
CAH PE Valuation
| Level | PE | Price | Vs current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheap | 17x | $130 | -53% |
| Forward | 21x | $278 | — |
| Fair | 30x | $231 | -17% |
| Current | 36x | $278 | — |
| Expensive | 44x | $341 | +23% |
Historical ranges are pointers, not guarantees.
CAH's PE is in its expensive range at 36x. If earnings grow as analysts expect, today's price would be 21x next year's earnings, in its cheap range.
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 has the edge over CAH in the historical PE scenario, which offers more potential upside but is not a forecast.
CAH Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| Strongly improving | |
| Strong growth | |
| Stable | |
| Stable | |
| Limited | |
| Moderate |
Analysts expect CAH's earnings to grow, with its revenue and profitability holding steady.
UNH Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| Strongly improving | |
| Strong growth | |
| Stable | |
| Improving | |
| Moderate | |
| Low |
UNH has the edge over CAH on the outlook, with more favorable profitability expectations.
CAH Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Forward | $13.12 | +70% |
| Q3 2026 | $7.73 | +17% |
| Q2 2026 | $7.23 | +12% |
| Q1 2026 | $6.54 | +2.5% |
| Q4 2025 | $6.95 | +30% |
| Q3 2025 | $6.63 | +30% |
| Q2 2025 | $6.45 | +88% |
| Q1 2025 | $6.38 | +182% |
| Q4 2024 | $5.33 | +109% |
CAH has the edge over UNH on earnings, with more consistent year-over-year improvement.
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's earnings per share have fallen from their peak: $17.55 over the past year, against $23.89 in early 2025.
CAH Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $67.5B | +5.5% |
| Q2 2026 | $63.7B | +5.8% |
| Q1 2026 | $60.9B | +11% |
| Q4 2025 | $65.6B | +19% |
| Q3 2025 | $64B | +22% |
| Q2 2025 | $60.2B | +0.8% |
| Q1 2025 | $54.9B | -0.1% |
| Q4 2024 | $55.3B | -3.8% |
CAH's revenue has grown year over year for six quarters in a row: $67.5B last quarter, up 5.5% from the same quarter a year ago.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 1.1% | +0.1 points |
| Q2 2026 | 1.1% | +0.4 points |
| Q1 2026 | 0.8% | -0.5 points |
| Q4 2025 | 1.1% | +0.1 points |
| Q3 2025 | 1% | -0.1 points |
| Q2 2025 | 0.7% | 0 points |
| Q1 2025 | 1.3% | +0.7 points |
| Q4 2024 | 1% | +0.2 points |
CAH's operating margin was 1.1% last quarter, about level with the same quarter a year ago.
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 CAH 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 has the edge over CAH on profitability, with a higher operating margin.
CAH Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $1.2B | +43% |
| Q2 2026 | $1.4B | +10% |
| Q1 2026 | $1.7B | -40% |
| Q4 2025 | $555M | +$1.1B |
| Q3 2025 | $865M | +$2.6B |
| Q2 2025 | $1.3B | -31% |
| Q1 2025 | $2.8B | +$3B |
| Q4 2024 | -$499M | -146% |
CAH generated $4.9B in free cash flow over the past year, up 10% 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.
CAH Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | -1.7% | -4M shares |
| 1 year | -2.5% | -6M shares |
| 3 years | -6.8% | -17M shares |
| 5 years | -19% | -56M shares |
| Available history | -21% | -61M shares |
CAH has the edge over UNH on shareholder dilution, with a more favorable share count trend.
| Quarter | Spent |
|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $500M |
| Q2 2026 | $350M |
| Q1 2026 | $250M |
| Q4 2025 | $383M |
| Q3 2025 | $375M |
| Q2 2025 | — |
| Q1 2025 | $375M |
| Q4 2024 | $15M |
CAH spent $1.5B buying back its own shares over the past year, up 94% 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.
CAH Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 1.0x | Very low |
| Q2 2026 | 1.1x | Healthy |
| Q1 2026 | 1.5x | Healthy |
| Q4 2025 | 1.8x | Healthy |
| Q3 2025 | 1.4x | Healthy |
| Q2 2025 | 1.5x | Healthy |
| Q1 2025 | 1.4x | Healthy |
| Q4 2024 | 1.4x | Healthy |
CAH has the edge over UNH on leverage, with a lower net debt burden relative to earnings.
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's net debt is about 1.7 years of its operating earnings (EBITDA), about the same as a year ago.
CAH Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 70.8 | Overbought |
| Stochastic | 81.9 | Overbought |
CAH's weekly RSI is 71 (overbought) and its Stochastic is 82 (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).
CAH PE vs Healthcare Sector
| Metric | CAH | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 36x | 26x | 39% above |
| PE % | 73 | 29 | 44 pts above |
CAH is trading at 36x earnings, a 39% premium to the Healthcare sector's median of 26x.
UNH PE vs Healthcare Sector
| Metric | UNH | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 23x | 26x | 11% below |
| PE % | 47 | 29 | 18 pts above |
UNH has the edge over CAH on valuation relative to its sector.
CAH Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $248.8 | 12% above |
| 20 week MA | $239.7 | 16% above |
| 50 week MA | $222.0 | 25% above |
| 100 week MA | $185.9 | 50% above |
| 200 week MA | $141.9 | 96% above |
CAH has the edge over UNH on trend strength, trading above more of its moving averages.
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.
CAH Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $51.5 | $53.8 | +4.5% |
| 2021 | $53.8 | $50.8 | -5.7% |
| 2022 | $50.8 | $80.1 | +58% |
| 2023 | $80.1 | $100.8 | +26% |
| 2024 | $100.8 | $119.1 | +18% |
| 2025 | $119.1 | $208.3 | +75% |
| 2026 YTD | $208.3 | $278.1 | +34% |
CAH has the edge over UNH on returns for 2026, with the stronger performance.
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 finished three years in a row lower, and it's up 22% so far in 2026.