Home Compare ELV vs UHS
Stock Comparison · Single-driver result

Elevance Health vs Universal Health Services: Which Stock Looks Stronger in 2026?

Elevance Health leads structurally, with profitability as the clearest single gap between the two profiles. Universal Health Services still has the edge on growth, which keeps the comparison from looking entirely one-sided. The market setup broadly confirms the structural lead — Elevance Health holds the more constructive position. That puts structure and market broadly in agreement — Elevance Health's lead looks more confirmed than conflicted.

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

The comparison is mainly decided in profitability, with the rest of the profile carrying less weight.

Trajectory Similarity
0.77
Similar
Peer-set rank: #14
within Elevance Health, Inc.'s functional peer set

This pair is matched through 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 margin consistency and revenue stability.

Similarity drivers
margin consistencyrevenue stability
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
ELV
Elevance Health, Inc.
55
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: S&P 500
vs
UHS
Universal Health Services, Inc.
49
Peer-Score
Signal qualityMedium
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: ELV vs UHS Profitability 65 24 Stability 34 31 Valuation 85 88 Growth 17 45 ELV UHS
Gap Ranking
#1 Profitability +41
#2 Growth +28
#3 Valuation +3
#4 Stability +3
Price Setup

Left means cheaper relative valuation. Higher means stronger structure.

Price setup map for ELV and UHS Stronger + cheaper Stronger + richer Weaker + cheaper Weaker + richer ELVUHS Relative valuation Structural strength

The structural gap is limited here, but current pricing still leans against Elevance Health, Inc..

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

Entry today — historical context

Where ELV and UHS each sit in their own 5-year price and valuation history.

BASED ON 5-YEAR HISTORY ELV Neutral · near norm 0th 50th 100th 24 pct gap UHS Neutral · below norm 0th 50th 100th 35th 60th
Today ELV sits in the lower-middle of its own 5-year history (35th percentile), while UHS sits higher in its own history (60th). Within each stock's own 5-year context, ELV is at a historically more favourable entry position than UHS. 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
Elevance Health, Inc. ranks near the top of the group on profitability; Universal Health Services, Inc. sits in the weaker half.
Growth
Growth also leans toward Universal Health Services, Inc., reinforcing the broader structural lead.
Profitability — Dominant Gap
ELV
65
UHS
24
Gap+41in favour of ELV

The clearest distance comes from a stronger profitability profile.

What keeps the gap from being one-sided

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

What this means for the comparison

The main read on profitability is clearer than the broader score gap.

Explore full peer positioning in AssetNext

Break down the ELV vs UHS comparison across all dimensions with the full interactive tool.

Explore full breakdown →
Other comparisons with conflicting dimension signals

Explore how ELV and UHS 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.