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Cardinal Health vs UnitedHealth Group: Which Stock Looks Stronger in 2026?

Cardinal Health holds the cleaner structural position, with stability as the main driver and growth adding further support. The market setup is broadly comparable for both — no clear directional signal from price behavior. The market is not adding a decisive signal either way — the structural read carries the weight.

The comparison is based on similar long-term financial trajectories, not sector labels. Both peer scores are relative to the S&P 500 universe, making them directly comparable.

Updated 2026-05-17

This is not just a one-metric split: both stability and growth materially support the lead. Cardinal Health, Inc. leads by 14 points on the overall comparison score.

Trajectory Similarity
0.78
Similar
Peer-set rank: #11
within Cardinal Health, Inc.'s functional peer set

These two companies are linked by measured long-term financial trajectory similarity within the selected peer universe.

A solid similarity means the pair shares a clearly comparable long-term financial profile, even if individual dimensions still differ.

Most of the shared profile comes through investment intensity and margin consistency.

Similarity drivers
investment intensitymargin consistency
How to read the score
0.85–1.00 · Very similar0.70–0.84 · Similar0.55–0.69 · Moderately similarbelow 0.55 · Loose match
Peer-Relative Score
CAH
Cardinal Health, Inc.
59
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: S&P 500
vs
UNH
UnitedHealth Group Incorporated
45
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: S&P 500

Scores reflect position relative to comparable companies with similar long-term financial trajectories.

Score differences across key dimensions.

Dimension spread: CAH vs UNH Profitability 63 56 Stability 68 30 Valuation 55 57 Growth 50 28 CAH UNH
Gap Ranking
#1 Stability +38
#2 Growth +22
#3 Profitability +7
#4 Valuation +2
Price Setup

Left means cheaper relative valuation. Higher means stronger structure.

Price setup map for CAH and UNH Stronger + cheaper Stronger + richer Weaker + cheaper Weaker + richer CAHUNH Relative valuation Structural strength

Neither company combines the stronger profile with the cheaper valuation.

Valuation position uses peer-relative PE percentile (idx_pct_pe) where available.

Entry today — historical context

Where CAH and UNH each sit in their own 5-year price and valuation history.

BASED ON 5-YEAR HISTORY CAH Elevated · below norm 0th 50th 100th 61 pct gap UNH Lower · above norm 0th 50th 100th 90th 29th
Today UNH sits in the lower-middle of its own 5-year history (29th percentile), while CAH sits higher in its own history (90th). Within each stock's own 5-year context, UNH is at a historically more favourable entry position than CAH. This reflects entry timing, not which company is structurally stronger — peer-relative analysis is a separate question addressed above.

Describes historical entry positioning only. Descriptive — not investment advice.

Relative Position vs Comparable Companies
Stability
On stability, Cardinal Health, Inc. ranks near the top of the group; UnitedHealth Group Incorporated sits in the weaker half.
Growth
Cardinal Health, Inc. sits in the stronger part of the group on growth, while UnitedHealth Group Incorporated is closer to mid-pack.
Stability — Dominant Gap
CAH
68
UNH
30
Gap+38in favour of CAH

The clearest distance comes from a steadier profile over time.

What else supports the lead

Growth also supports the lead, so the result is broader than one isolated gap.

What this means for the comparison

Stability is the clearest driver, and growth also supports Cardinal Health, Inc.'s broader structural position.

Explore full peer positioning in AssetNext

Break down the CAH vs UNH comparison across all dimensions with the full interactive tool.

Explore full breakdown →
Similar stability-and-growth comparisons

Explore how CAH and UNH each compare against other companies in their peer groups.

Rule-based, descriptive analysis only. Derived from peer percentile dimensions. Not investment advice. Peer groups are determined algorithmically based on structural similarity — not by sector classification alone.

How AssetNext Peer Scores Work

AssetNext scores reflect each company's structural position within its functional peer group — not a ranking against all stocks simultaneously. Peers are identified by similarity across eight financial dimensions, including revenue growth trajectory, margin structure, capital intensity, and earnings stability. A score of 75 means the company ranks in the top quartile within its own peer group, not the entire market.

Four dimension scores drive the overall peer score: Growth (revenue trajectory and expansion dynamics), Quality (margin structure and capital efficiency), Valuation (peer-relative pricing on standard multiples), and Stability (earnings consistency and financial predictability). Each dimension is scored 0–100 relative to the peer group, then combined into an overall peer score using equal weighting.

Because scores are peer-relative, the same company can have slightly different scores in different index universes. On comparison pages, both companies are shown within their shared peer universe wherever possible — so the scores are directly comparable. The peer basis is stated on each score card.

Scores are recalculated periodically as underlying financial data is updated. All analysis is descriptive and rule-based — AssetNext describes structural realities and never issues buy, sell or hold recommendations.