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Stock Comparison · Structural lead, mixed market

Labcorp Holdings vs UnitedHealth Group: Which Stock Looks Stronger in 2026?

The structural profiles are close, with Labcorp carrying a narrow edge on growth. UnitedHealth still has the edge on profitability, which keeps the comparison from looking entirely one-sided. In the market, UnitedHealth carries the stronger setup — intact trend against Labcorp's broken trend. That leaves a split case: the structural lead stays with Labcorp, but the market is not currently confirming it.

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 lead is spread across growth and stability, rather than sitting in one isolated gap.

Trajectory Similarity
0.78
Similar
Peer-set rank: #7
within Labcorp Holdings Inc.'s functional peer set

These two companies are linked by measured 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 margin trend and revenue stability.

Similarity drivers
margin trendrevenue 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
LH
Labcorp Holdings Inc.
49
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 largest gaps do not all point in the same direction.

Dimension spread: LH vs UNH Profitability 21 56 Stability 44 30 Valuation 70 57 Growth 64 28 LH UNH
Gap Ranking
#1 Growth +36
#2 Profitability +35
#3 Stability +14
#4 Valuation +13
Price Setup

Left means cheaper relative valuation. Higher means stronger structure.

Price setup map for LH and UNH Stronger + cheaper Stronger + richer Weaker + cheaper Weaker + richer LHUNH Relative valuation Structural strength

The structural gap is limited here, but current pricing still leans against UnitedHealth Group Incorporated.

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

Entry today — historical context

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

BASED ON 5-YEAR HISTORY LH Elevated · below norm 0th 50th 100th 52 pct gap UNH Lower · above norm 0th 50th 100th 80th 29th
Today UNH sits in the lower-middle of its own 5-year history (29th percentile), while LH sits higher in its own history (80th). Within each stock's own 5-year context, UNH is at a historically more favourable entry position than LH. 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
Growth
On growth, Labcorp Holdings Inc. is positioned higher in the group, while UnitedHealth Group Incorporated is closer to the middle.
Profitability
UnitedHealth Group Incorporated sits in the stronger part of the group on profitability, while Labcorp Holdings Inc. is closer to mid-pack.
Growth — Dominant Gap
LH
64
UNH
28
Gap+36in favour of LH

Earnings growth is one contributing factor within the growth lead.

What keeps the gap from being one-sided

Capital efficiency also runs the other way, with a 4.5-point ROIC edge acting as a real counterforce.

What this means for the comparison

The page question resolves through growth, but profitability and current pricing still keep the broader comparison from reading as fully aligned.

Explore full peer positioning in AssetNext

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

Explore full breakdown →
Other comparisons with conflicting dimension signals

Explore how LH 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.