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Humana vs UnitedHealth Group: Which Stock Looks Stronger in 2026?

Humana holds the cleaner structural position, with growth as the main driver and profitability adding further support. The remaining gap is narrow enough that the comparison remains open to different readings. 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 growth. Humana Inc. leads by 8 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. HUM and UNH share the same industry classification.

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

Peer-Relative Score
HUM
Humana Inc.
53
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.

The clearest separation appears in growth.

Dimension spread: HUM vs UNH Profitability 67 56 Stability 22 30 Valuation 50 57 Growth 67 28 HUM UNH
Gap Ranking
#1 Growth +39
#2 Profitability +11
#3 Stability +8
#4 Valuation +7
Price Setup

Left means cheaper relative valuation. Higher means stronger structure.

Price setup map for HUM and UNH Stronger + cheaper Stronger + richer Weaker + cheaper Weaker + richer HUMUNH Relative valuation Structural strength

Humana Inc. still looks stronger overall, though current pricing looks more supportive for UnitedHealth Group Incorporated.

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

Entry today — historical context

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

BASED ON 5-YEAR HISTORY HUM Neutral · above norm 0th 50th 100th 5 pct gap UNH Lower · above norm 0th 50th 100th 34th 29th
HUM (34th percentile) and UNH (29th percentile) both sit in the lower-middle of their own 5-year ranges. The historical entry context is broadly similar for both. This reflects entry timing, not which company is structurally stronger.

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

Relative Position vs Comparable Companies
Growth
On growth, Humana Inc. ranks near the top of the group; UnitedHealth Group Incorporated sits in the weaker half.
Profitability
On profitability, the edge still sits with Humana Inc., even though both profiles look solid.
Growth — Dominant Gap
HUM
67
UNH
28
Gap+39in favour of HUM

Revenue growth reinforces the category-level growth lead.

What else supports the lead

Capital efficiency adds support, with a 6.8-point ROIC advantage.

What this means for the comparison

Growth is the clearest driver, and profitability also supports Humana Inc.'s broader structural position.

Explore full peer positioning in AssetNext

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

Explore full breakdown →
Similar growth-driven comparisons

Explore how HUM 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.