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Stock Comparison · Structural lead, mixed market

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

The structural profiles are close, with Humana carrying a narrow edge on profitability. Universal Health Services still has the edge on valuation, which keeps the comparison from looking entirely one-sided. On the market side, Humana is in better shape — its trend is intact while Universal Health Services's trend has broken down. That puts structure and market broadly in agreement — Humana'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 clearest separation starts in profitability, with growth adding a second layer of support.

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

This pair is matched through long-term financial trajectory similarity within the selected peer universe.

The pair sits on a clearly comparable long-term path, though it is not a near-twin match.

The match is driven mainly by revenue stability and margin consistency.

Similarity drivers
revenue stabilitymargin 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
HUM
Humana Inc.
53
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 largest gaps do not all point in the same direction.

Dimension spread: HUM vs UHS Profitability 67 24 Stability 22 31 Valuation 50 88 Growth 67 45 HUM UHS
Gap Ranking
#1 Profitability +43
#2 Valuation +38
#3 Growth +22
#4 Stability +9
Price Setup

Left means cheaper relative valuation. Higher means stronger structure.

Price setup map for HUM and UHS Stronger + cheaper Stronger + richer Weaker + cheaper Weaker + richer HUMUHS Relative valuation Structural strength

Humana Inc. still looks stronger overall, though current pricing looks more supportive for Universal Health Services, Inc..

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

Entry today — historical context

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

BASED ON 5-YEAR HISTORY HUM Neutral · above norm 0th 50th 100th 25 pct gap UHS Neutral · below norm 0th 50th 100th 34th 60th
Today HUM sits in the lower-middle of its own 5-year history (34th percentile), while UHS sits higher in its own history (60th). Within each stock's own 5-year context, HUM 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
On profitability, Humana Inc. ranks near the top of the group; Universal Health Services, Inc. sits in the weaker half.
Valuation
On valuation, the edge is clear — both rank well, but Universal Health Services, Inc. sits noticeably higher.
Profitability — Dominant Gap
HUM
67
UHS
24
Gap+43in favour of HUM

Capital efficiency adds support, with a 4.3-point ROIC advantage.

What keeps the gap from being one-sided

Absolute pricing still looks more supportive for Universal Health Services, with a forward P/E that is 13.2 turns lower there.

What this means for the comparison

Profitability points more clearly to Humana Inc., but valuation and current pricing keep the broader result mixed.

Explore full peer positioning in AssetNext

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

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Other comparisons with conflicting dimension signals

Explore how HUM 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.