Fundamentals snapshot
UNH · NYQ · Healthcare · Healthcare Plans
Current price
$424.98
52-week range
$255.97 - $461.62
Market cap
$381.46B
One-glance verdict
We don't put a cash-flow fair value on banks and insurers. For these companies the reported 'cash flow' is really just money moving between loans, deposits and trades — not the leftover profit the owners could actually pocket — so the usual method would print a misleading number.
Balance sheet
Net debt $45.78B. Interest coverage shows how many times profit covers the interest bill.
What stands out
What this company does
UnitedHealth Group makes money by offering health insurance plans and providing healthcare services. Their main income comes from insurance premiums paid by employers and individuals, which is a predictable stream of money. This matters because stable income allows them to invest in improving healthcare and offering more services to their customers.
UnitedHealth Group started in 1974 as a small health insurance company. It grew by acquiring other insurance providers and expanding its services beyond just offering insurance plans. A major turning point was its strategic decision to build out its technology and services arm, Optum, which now plays a huge role in its overall business. This dual focus on insurance and health services has made it a giant in the healthcare industry.
Think of UnitedHealth Group as a company that helps people navigate and pay for healthcare. It offers health insurance plans that cover doctor visits, hospital stays, and prescriptions. Beyond insurance, it also provides services that aim to make healthcare more efficient and effective, like managing doctor's offices, offering pharmacy benefits, and providing data and technology to other healthcare organizations.
This is the part of UnitedHealth Group that most people recognize: it's the health insurance business. UnitedHealthcare offers a wide variety of health benefit plans to different groups, including large employers, small businesses, individuals, and government programs like Medicare and Medicaid. Essentially, they provide the plans that help cover the costs of medical care for millions of Americans, acting as a bridge between patients and healthcare providers.
Optum Health is focused on directly delivering and managing healthcare services. This segment operates clinics and doctor's offices, manages patient care, and offers wellness programs. It works with patients, doctors, and other healthcare systems to improve the quality and efficiency of care, aiming to provide a more coordinated healthcare experience.
Optum Rx is the pharmacy benefits manager for UnitedHealth Group. It handles prescription drug services for health plans and employers, including negotiating drug prices, managing mail-order pharmacies, and developing programs to help people take their medications as prescribed. This segment plays a key role in controlling prescription drug costs and ensuring members have access to necessary medications.
Optum Insight provides technology and data services to the healthcare industry. It offers software, consulting, and data analytics to hospitals, doctors, and other health plans to help them manage their operations, understand patient data, and improve decision-making. This segment essentially acts as a technology partner for other healthcare organizations, helping them become more efficient.
UnitedHealth Group's leadership is focused on integrating its diverse businesses to create a more seamless healthcare experience for consumers. They are investing heavily in technology and data analytics through Optum to improve care delivery and reduce costs across all segments. The company is also looking to expand its reach in providing direct patient care and managing health services, aiming to be a comprehensive solution for healthcare needs.
Price history
Earnings history
Click any quarter to read the call summary and what the numbers say.
Is it cheap or expensive?
For a bank or insurer, the "free cash flow" shown on its statements is mostly money flowing through loans, deposits and trades — not the leftover profit the owners could actually keep, which is what this kind of valuation needs. Running that through the usual method would spit out a meaningless number, so we leave the cash-flow fair value out here rather than show you something misleading.
Is it drowning in debt?
Net debt $45.8B. Interest coverage 4.7x.
UnitedHealth Group Incorporated's profit covers its interest bill about 4.7 times over. which is stronger than most peers shown here and 1 peers sit below 1x, which is the danger zone where profit does not fully cover the interest bill.
Total debt $74.33B Interest coverage 4.74x This is the baseline the peer rows are being compared against.
Total debt $31.04B Interest coverage 5.79x +22% vs UNH Carries about 1.2x more debt cushion than UNH.
Total debt $76.31B Interest coverage 3.33x -30% vs UNH Carries about 1.4x less debt cushion than UNH.
Total debt $31.88B Interest coverage 5.79x +22% vs UNH Carries about 1.2x more debt cushion than UNH.
Total debt $14.74B Interest coverage 3.46x -27% vs UNH Carries about 1.4x less debt cushion than UNH.
Total debt $16.10B Interest coverage -0.46x -100% vs UNH This peer has almost no interest-payment cushion compared with UNH.
What you should know
The numbers
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Valuation
Profitability
Health
Growth
Cash flow
Dividend
Metric explainer
Debt comparison
What you should know