UNH
UnitedHealth Group Incorporated
UNH has the edge over VRTX overall, supported by stronger modeled upside and stronger valuation.
VRTX
Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated
VRTX offers stronger fundamentals, but that advantage does not outweigh its weaker overall profile.
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.
VRTX Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Healthy | |
| Strong | |
| Healthy | |
| Strong |
VRTX's revenue, profitability, cash flow and balance sheet are all currently healthy.
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.
VRTX PE Valuation
| Level | PE | Price | Vs current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheap | 23x | $360 | -34% |
| Fair | 28x | $429 | -21% |
| Forward | 29x | $543 | — |
| Expensive | 32x | $496 | -8.7% |
| Current | 35x | $543 | — |
Historical ranges are pointers, not guarantees.
VRTX has the edge over UNH in the historical PE scenario, which offers more potential upside but is not a forecast.
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.
VRTX Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| Improving | |
| Stable | |
| Growth | |
| Strongly weakening | |
| Limited | |
| Low |
Analysts expect VRTX's revenue to grow, but its profitability to weaken. However, they disagree widely on these estimates.
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.
VRTX Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Forward | $18.81 | +21% |
| Q3 2026 | $15.53 | +8.6% |
| Q2 2026 | $17.17 | +22% |
| Q1 2026 | $16.85 | +$20.65 |
| Q4 2025 | $15.32 | +$17.40 |
| Q3 2025 | $14.30 | +$16.29 |
| Q2 2025 | $14.11 | +$16.14 |
| Q1 2025 | -$3.80 | -125% |
| Q4 2024 | -$2.08 | -115% |
VRTX has the edge over UNH on earnings, with more consistent year-over-year improvement.
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.
VRTX Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $3.4B | +12% |
| Q2 2026 | $3.3B | +12% |
| Q1 2026 | $3B | +7.8% |
| Q4 2025 | $3.2B | +9.5% |
| Q3 2025 | $3.1B | +11% |
| Q2 2025 | $3B | +12% |
| Q1 2025 | $2.8B | +3% |
| Q4 2024 | $2.9B | +16% |
VRTX has the edge over UNH on sales, with more consistent year-over-year improvement.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 21% | -18 points |
| Q2 2026 | 37% | -1.4 points |
| Q1 2026 | 38% | +15 points |
| Q4 2025 | 38% | +2.6 points |
| Q3 2025 | 39% | -1.7 points |
| Q2 2025 | 39% | +172 points |
| Q1 2025 | 23% | -20 points |
| Q4 2024 | 35% | -4 points |
VRTX has the edge over UNH on profitability, with a higher operating margin.
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 VRTX on cash flow, with more consistent year-over-year improvement.
VRTX Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $545.8M | -52% |
| Q2 2026 | $1B | +9.3% |
| Q1 2026 | $1.3B | +66% |
| Q4 2025 | $348.6M | -29% |
| Q3 2025 | $1.1B | -12% |
| Q2 2025 | $927.4M | +$4.8B |
| Q1 2025 | $778.2M | -37% |
| Q4 2024 | $492M | +179% |
VRTX generated $3.2B in free cash flow over the past year, down 4% 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.
VRTX Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | 0% | -- |
| 1 year | -0.9% | -2.4M shares |
| 3 years | -2.1% | -5.4M shares |
| 5 years | -1.7% | -4.5M shares |
| Available history | -2.6% | -6.9M shares |
VRTX has the edge over UNH on shareholder dilution, with a more favorable share count trend.
| Quarter | Spent |
|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $126.7M |
| Q2 2026 | $469.5M |
| Q1 2026 | $336.9M |
| Q4 2025 | $128.4M |
| Q3 2025 | $1.1B |
| Q2 2025 | $391.8M |
| Q1 2025 | $426.1M |
| Q4 2024 | $417.9M |
VRTX spent $1.1B buying back its own shares over the past year, down 54% from the year before.
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.
VRTX Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | -0.1x | Net Cash |
| Q2 2026 | -1.2x | Net Cash |
| Q1 2026 | -1.1x | Net Cash |
| Q4 2025 | -1.2x | Net Cash |
| Q3 2025 | -1.2x | Net Cash |
| Q2 2025 | -1.2x | Net Cash |
| Q1 2024 | -2.1x | Net Cash |
| Q4 2023 | -2.6x | Net Cash |
VRTX has the edge over UNH on leverage, with a lower net debt burden relative to earnings.
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).
VRTX Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 59.4 | Neutral |
| Stochastic | 81.1 | Overbought |
VRTX's weekly RSI is 59 (neutral) and its Stochastic is 81 (overbought).
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 VRTX on valuation relative to its sector.
VRTX PE vs Healthcare Sector
| Metric | VRTX | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 35x | 26x | 35% above |
| PE % | 91 | 29 | 62 pts above |
VRTX is trading at 35x earnings, a 35% premium to the Healthcare sector's median of 26x.
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.
VRTX Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $526.7 | 3% above |
| 20 week MA | $516.4 | 5.1% above |
| 50 week MA | $479.2 | 13% above |
| 100 week MA | $459.7 | 18% above |
| 200 week MA | $428.4 | 27% above |
VRTX has the edge over UNH on trend strength, trading above more of its moving averages.
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 VRTX on returns for 2026, with the stronger performance.
VRTX Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $221.0 | $234.5 | +6.1% |
| 2021 | $234.5 | $223.5 | -4.7% |
| 2022 | $223.5 | $289.7 | +30% |
| 2023 | $289.7 | $406.9 | +40% |
| 2024 | $406.9 | $408.8 | +0.5% |
| 2025 | $408.8 | $462.9 | +13% |
| 2026 YTD | $462.9 | $542.6 | +17% |
VRTX has finished higher in five of the last six years. It's up 17% so far in 2026.