IQV
IQVIA Holdings Inc.
IQV offers stronger fundamentals, but that advantage does not outweigh its weaker overall profile.
UNH
UnitedHealth Group Incorporated
UNH has a slight edge over IQV overall, supported by stronger modeled upside and lower modeled downside.
IQV Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Stable | |
| Healthy | |
| Healthy | |
| Weak |
IQV's profitability and cash flow are currently healthy, and its revenue is stable, but its balance sheet is weak.
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.
IQV PE Valuation
| Level | PE | Price | Vs current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forward | 20x | $271 | — |
| Cheap | 27x | $218 | -19% |
| Current | 33x | $271 | — |
| Fair | 36x | $292 | +7.6% |
| Expensive | 124x | $1,021 | +277% |
Historical ranges are pointers, not guarantees.
IQV 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.
IQV Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| Strongly improving | |
| Growth | |
| Growth | |
| Stable | |
| Limited | |
| High |
Analysts expect earnings and revenue growth for IQV, with profitability holding steady.
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.
IQV Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Forward | $13.78 | +68% |
| Q3 2026 | $8.21 | +13% |
| Q2 2026 | $8.04 | +17% |
| Q1 2026 | $8.05 | +9.8% |
| Q4 2025 | $7.84 | +4.7% |
| Q3 2025 | $7.28 | -4.5% |
| Q2 2025 | $6.90 | -10% |
| Q1 2025 | $7.33 | +0.1% |
| Q4 2024 | $7.49 | +2.7% |
IQV 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.
IQV Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $4.4B | +8% |
| Q2 2026 | $4.4B | +8.7% |
| Q1 2026 | $4.2B | +8.4% |
| Q4 2025 | $4.4B | +10% |
| Q3 2025 | $4.1B | +5.2% |
| Q2 2025 | $4B | +5.3% |
| Q1 2025 | $3.8B | +2.5% |
| Q4 2024 | $4B | +2.3% |
IQV's revenue has grown year over year every quarter since late 2020: $4.4B last quarter, up 8% from the same quarter a year ago.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 13% | -0.6 points |
| Q2 2026 | 12% | -1 points |
| Q1 2026 | 12% | -0.6 points |
| Q4 2025 | 14% | -1.5 points |
| Q3 2025 | 13% | -0.6 points |
| Q2 2025 | 13% | -1 points |
| Q1 2025 | 13% | -0.6 points |
| Q4 2024 | 16% | +2.9 points |
IQV 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's revenue has held roughly level: $113B last quarter, about level with the same quarter a year ago.
| 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.
IQV Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $667M | -14% |
| Q2 2026 | $360M | +23% |
| Q1 2026 | $491M | +15% |
| Q4 2025 | $561M | -22% |
| Q3 2025 | $772M | +35% |
| Q2 2025 | $292M | -34% |
| Q1 2025 | $426M | +13% |
| Q4 2024 | $721M | +27% |
IQV's free cash flow has been positive every quarter for seven years: $2.1B over the past year, down 6% 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.
IQV Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | -0.2% | -300K shares |
| 1 year | -2.7% | -4.7M shares |
| 3 years | -10% | -18.5M shares |
| 5 years | -14% | -28.3M shares |
| Available history | -16% | -32.6M shares |
IQV has the edge over UNH on shareholder dilution, with a more favorable share count trend.
| Quarter | Spent |
|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | — |
| Q2 2026 | $398M |
| Q1 2026 | $552M |
| Q4 2025 | $212M |
| Q3 2025 | — |
| Q2 2025 | $657M |
| Q1 2025 | $375M |
| Q4 2024 | $1.2B |
IQV spent $1.2B buying back its own shares over the past year, down 47% 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.
IQV Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 4.0x | High |
| Q2 2026 | 4.2x | High |
| Q1 2026 | 4.1x | High |
| Q4 2025 | 4.1x | High |
| Q3 2025 | 4.0x | Elevated |
| Q2 2025 | 4.1x | High |
| Q1 2025 | 3.8x | Elevated |
| Q4 2024 | 3.7x | Elevated |
IQV's net debt is about 4.0 years of its operating earnings (EBITDA), about the same as 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 IQV on leverage, with a lower net debt burden relative to earnings.
IQV Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 65.2 | Neutral |
| Stochastic | 76.5 | Neutral |
IQV's weekly RSI is 65 (neutral) and its Stochastic is 76 (neutral).
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).
IQV PE vs Healthcare Sector
| Metric | IQV | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 33x | 26x | 28% above |
| PE % | 38 | 29 | 9 pts above |
IQV is trading at 33x earnings, a 28% 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 IQV on valuation relative to its sector.
IQV Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $268.1 | 1.1% above |
| 20 week MA | $250.1 | 8.4% above |
| 50 week MA | $213.9 | 27% above |
| 100 week MA | $198.5 | 37% above |
| 200 week MA | $208.6 | 30% above |
IQV 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.
IQV Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $154.4 | $175.9 | +14% |
| 2021 | $175.9 | $278.0 | +58% |
| 2022 | $278.0 | $203.8 | -27% |
| 2023 | $203.8 | $231.4 | +14% |
| 2024 | $231.4 | $199.4 | -14% |
| 2025 | $199.4 | $226.9 | +14% |
| 2026 YTD | $226.9 | $271.1 | +19% |
IQV has finished higher in four of the last six years. It's up 19% 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 IQV on returns for 2026, with the stronger performance.