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CVS Health vs Humana: Which Stock Looks Stronger in 2026?

Humana holds the cleaner structural position, with profitability as the main driver and growth adding further support. CVS Health still leads on growth and stability, which keeps the comparison from looking entirely one-sided. 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

Most of the separation is still concentrated in profitability. Humana Inc. leads by 11 points on the overall comparison score.

INDUSTRY COMPARISON

Both operate in: Healthcare Plans

This comparison is based on industry proximity, not on functional trajectory similarity. CVS and HUM share the same industry classification.

For a similarity-based comparison, see how CVS Health and Humana each position within their functional peer groups in AssetNext.

Peer-Relative Score
CVS
CVS Health Corporation
42
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: S&P 500
vs
HUM
Humana Inc.
53
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: S&P 500

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

The clearest separation appears in profitability.

Dimension spread: CVS vs HUM Profitability 17 67 Stability 39 22 Valuation 40 50 Growth 85 67 CVS HUM
Gap Ranking
#1 Profitability +50
#2 Growth +18
#3 Stability +17
#4 Valuation +10
Price Setup

Left means cheaper relative valuation. Higher means stronger structure.

Price setup map for CVS and HUM Stronger + cheaper Stronger + richer Weaker + cheaper Weaker + richer CVSHUM Relative valuation Structural strength

The structural gap is limited here, but current pricing still leans against CVS Health Corporation.

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

Entry today — historical context

Where CVS and HUM each sit in their own 5-year price and valuation history.

BASED ON 5-YEAR HISTORY CVS Elevated · above norm 0th 50th 100th 65 pct gap HUM Neutral · above norm 0th 50th 100th 99th 34th
Today HUM sits in the lower-middle of its own 5-year history (34th percentile), while CVS sits higher in its own history (99th). Within each stock's own 5-year context, HUM is at a historically more favourable entry position than CVS. 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
Profitability
Humana Inc. ranks near the top of the group on profitability; CVS Health Corporation sits in the weaker half.
Growth
On growth, the edge still sits with CVS Health Corporation, even though both profiles look solid.
Profitability — Dominant Gap
CVS
17
HUM
67
Gap+50in favour of HUM

Capital efficiency adds support, with a 15.4-point ROIC advantage.

What keeps the gap from being one-sided

Earnings growth also leans toward CVS, which keeps the score lead from reading as a full growth sweep.

What this means for the comparison

Profitability settles the comparison, while pricing and growth keep the broader setup from looking fully aligned.

Explore full peer positioning in AssetNext

Break down the CVS vs HUM comparison across all dimensions with the full interactive tool.

Explore full breakdown →
Similar profitability-driven comparisons

Explore how CVS and HUM 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.