SHC
Sotera Health Company
SHC has the edge over UNH overall, supported by stronger valuation and stronger fundamentals.
UNH
UnitedHealth Group Incorporated
UNH has slightly lower modeled downside risk, despite its lower overall score.
SHC Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Stable | |
| Strong | |
| Healthy | |
| Weak |
SHC'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.
SHC PE Valuation
| Level | PE | Price | Vs current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forward | 16x | $16.30 | — |
| Current | 27x | $16.30 | — |
| Cheap | 38x | $23.00 | +41% |
| Fair | 61x | $36.40 | +123% |
| Expensive | 173x | $104 | +538% |
Historical ranges are pointers, not guarantees.
SHC 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.
SHC Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| Strongly improving | |
| Growth | |
| Growth | |
| Improving | |
| Limited | |
| High |
SHC has the edge over UNH on the outlook, with more favorable revenue expectations.
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.
SHC Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Forward | $1.04 | +73% |
| Q3 2026 | $0.60 | +200% |
| Q2 2026 | $0.57 | +533% |
| Q1 2026 | $0.41 | +356% |
| Q4 2025 | $0.27 | +69% |
| Q3 2025 | $0.20 | -20% |
| Q2 2025 | $0.09 | -36% |
| Q1 2025 | $0.09 | -53% |
| Q4 2024 | $0.16 | -11% |
SHC 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.
SHC Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $324.9M | +4.4% |
| Q2 2026 | $321.4M | +9.2% |
| Q1 2026 | $280M | +10% |
| Q4 2025 | $303.4M | +4.6% |
| Q3 2025 | $311.3M | +9.1% |
| Q2 2025 | $294.3M | +6.4% |
| Q1 2025 | $254.5M | +2.6% |
| Q4 2024 | $290.2M | -6.5% |
SHC's revenue has grown year over year for seven quarters in a row: $325M last quarter, up 4.4% from the same quarter a year ago.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 26% | +2.3 points |
| Q2 2026 | 24% | +18 points |
| Q1 2026 | 15% | +21 points |
| Q4 2025 | 23% | -6.8 points |
| Q3 2025 | 23% | -4.8 points |
| Q2 2025 | 6.4% | -21 points |
| Q1 2025 | -5.8% | -27 points |
| Q4 2024 | 30% | -3.5 points |
SHC 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 SHC on sales, with stronger typical year-over-year growth.
| 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.
SHC Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $57.7M | +65% |
| Q2 2026 | $42M | +61% |
| Q1 2026 | -$16.7M | -147% |
| Q4 2025 | $52.4M | +$62.6M |
| Q3 2025 | $35M | -43% |
| Q2 2025 | $26.2M | +35% |
| Q1 2025 | $35.6M | +$60.8M |
| Q4 2024 | -$10.2M | -121% |
SHC generated $135M in free cash flow over the past year, up 56% 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.
SHC Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | +0.4% | +1.1M shares |
| 1 year | +0.9% | +2.5M shares |
| 3 years | +2.9% | +8.1M shares |
| 5 years | +3.5% | +9.7M shares |
| Available history | +3.7% | +10.4M shares |
SHC has 289M diluted shares, up 0.9% from a year ago.
| Quarter | Spent |
|---|---|
| Q4 2020 | — |
| Q3 2020 | — |
| Q2 2020 | — |
| Q1 2020 | — |
| Q4 2019 | — |
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 the edge over SHC on shareholder dilution, with a more favorable share count trend.
| 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.
SHC Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 4.3x | High |
| Q2 2026 | 4.6x | High |
| Q1 2026 | 5.5x | High |
| Q4 2025 | 6.3x | High |
| Q3 2025 | 6.0x | High |
| Q2 2025 | 5.7x | High |
| Q1 2025 | 4.9x | High |
| Q4 2024 | 4.2x | High |
SHC's net debt is about 4.3 years of its operating earnings (EBITDA), down from 6.0 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 SHC on leverage, with a lower net debt burden relative to earnings.
SHC Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 41.0 | Neutral |
| Stochastic | 20.9 | Neutral |
SHC's weekly RSI is 41 (neutral) and its Stochastic is 21 (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).
SHC PE vs Healthcare Sector
| Metric | SHC | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 27x | 26x | 5.1% above |
| PE % | 8 | 34 | 26 pts below |
SHC is trading at 27x earnings, in line with 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 SHC on valuation relative to its sector.
SHC Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $17.6 | 7.5% below |
| 20 week MA | $18.2 | 10% below |
| 50 week MA | $17.1 | 4.4% below |
| 100 week MA | $15.3 | 6.7% above |
| 200 week MA | $15.1 | 7.9% above |
SHC has pulled back, but its long-term trend is still up: it's below its 8-, 20- and 50-week averages, but 7.9% above 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 the edge over SHC on trend strength, trading above more of its moving averages.
SHC Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $25.1 | $26.9 | +7.3% |
| 2021 | $26.9 | $23.6 | -13% |
| 2022 | $23.6 | $7.93 | -66% |
| 2023 | $7.93 | $16.9 | +112% |
| 2024 | $16.9 | $13.5 | -20% |
| 2025 | $13.5 | $17.7 | +31% |
| 2026 YTD | $17.7 | $16.3 | -7.9% |
SHC's yearly returns have swung widely, from +112% in 2023 to −66% in 2022. It's down 7.9% 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 SHC on returns for 2026, with the stronger performance.