PCRX
Pacira BioSciences, Inc.
PCRX has a slight edge over UNH overall, supported by stronger fundamentals and stronger valuation.
UNH
UnitedHealth Group Incorporated
UNH has lower modeled downside risk, despite its lower overall score.
PCRX Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Unavailable | |
| Healthy | |
| Strong | |
| Strong |
PCRX's profitability, cash flow and balance sheet are currently healthy. There isn't enough data to rate its revenue.
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.
PCRX PE Valuation
| Level | PE | Price | Vs current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forward | 11x | $36.46 | — |
| Cheap | 19x | $17.40 | -52% |
| Current | 39x | $36.46 | — |
| Fair | 59x | $55.10 | +51% |
| Expensive | 166x | $156 | +328% |
Historical ranges are pointers, not guarantees.
PCRX's PE is in its fair range at 39x. If earnings grow as analysts expect, today's price would be 11x 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 PCRX in the historical PE scenario, which offers more potential upside but is not a forecast.
PCRX Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| Strongly improving | |
| Growth | |
| Stable | |
| Improving | |
| Limited | |
| Low |
Analysts expect PCRX's earnings to grow and its profitability to improve, with its revenue 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.
PCRX Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Forward | $3.23 | +244% |
| Q3 2026 | $0.94 | +92% |
| Q2 2026 | $0.36 | +$3.10 |
| Q1 2026 | $0.13 | +$2.37 |
| Q4 2025 | $0.16 | +$2.31 |
| Q3 2025 | $0.49 | +$2.44 |
| Q2 2025 | -$2.74 | -297% |
| Q1 2025 | -$2.24 | -248% |
| Q4 2024 | -$2.15 | -342% |
PCRX 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.
PCRX Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $176.7M | -1.6% |
| Q2 2026 | $192.4M | +6.2% |
| Q1 2026 | $177.4M | +5% |
| Q3 2025 | $179.5M | +6.5% |
| Q2 2025 | $181.1M | +1.7% |
| Q1 2025 | $168.9M | +1.1% |
| Q3 2024 | $168.6M | +2.8% |
| Q2 2024 | $178M | +5% |
PCRX's revenue has picked up after two years of holding roughly level: $177M last quarter, down 1.6% from the same quarter a year ago.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 13% | +9.1 points |
| Q2 2026 | 2.2% | -2.5 points |
| Q1 2026 | 3.9% | +2.7 points |
| Q4 2025 | 1.2% | N/A |
| Q3 2025 | 3.5% | +86 points |
| Q2 2025 | 4.7% | -11 points |
| Q1 2025 | 1.2% | -6.7 points |
| Q3 2024 | -83% | -94 points |
PCRX 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 PCRX 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.
PCRX Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $46.4M | -18% |
| Q2 2026 | $56.1M | +503% |
| Q1 2026 | $23M | -15% |
| Q4 2025 | $43.5M | +40% |
| Q3 2025 | $57M | +14% |
| Q2 2025 | $9.3M | -82% |
| Q1 2025 | $26.9M | -42% |
| Q4 2024 | $31M | -32% |
PCRX generated $169M in free cash flow over the past year, up 36% 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 has the edge over PCRX on cash flow, with more consistent year-over-year improvement.
PCRX Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | +1.3% | +530K shares |
| 1 year | -8.2% | -3.6M shares |
| 3 years | -22% | -11.2M shares |
| 5 years | -10% | -4.6M shares |
| Available history | -1.6% | -683K shares |
PCRX has the edge over UNH on shareholder dilution, with a more favorable share count trend.
| Quarter | Spent |
|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | — |
| Q2 2026 | — |
| Q1 2026 | $50M |
| Q4 2025 | $48.2M |
| Q3 2025 | $50M |
| Q4 2024 | — |
| Q3 2024 | — |
PCRX spent $98M buying back its own shares over the past year.
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.
PCRX Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 0.4x | Very low |
| Q2 2026 | 1.5x | Healthy |
| Q1 2026 | 1.9x | Healthy |
| Q4 2025 | 1.9x | Healthy |
| Q3 2025 | 1.7x | Healthy |
| Q4 2024 | 57.0x | High |
| Q3 2024 | -22.1x | Net Cash |
| Q2 2024 | -1.5x | Net Cash |
PCRX 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.
PCRX Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 77.6 | Overbought |
| Stochastic | 98.3 | Overbought |
PCRX's weekly RSI is 78 (overbought) and its Stochastic is 98 (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).
PCRX PE vs Healthcare Sector
| Metric | PCRX | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 39x | 26x | 50% above |
| PE % | 37 | 29 | 8 pts above |
PCRX is trading at 39x earnings, a 50% 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 PCRX on valuation relative to its sector.
PCRX Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $33.6 | 8.5% above |
| 20 week MA | $28.6 | 27% above |
| 50 week MA | $25.4 | 44% above |
| 100 week MA | $24.7 | 48% above |
| 200 week MA | $27.3 | 33% above |
PCRX 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.
PCRX Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $44.6 | $59.2 | +33% |
| 2021 | $59.2 | $61.7 | +4.1% |
| 2022 | $61.7 | $39.7 | -36% |
| 2023 | $39.7 | $33.7 | -15% |
| 2024 | $33.7 | $19.7 | -42% |
| 2025 | $19.7 | $26.5 | +35% |
| 2026 YTD | $26.5 | $36.5 | +38% |
PCRX 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.