HCA Health Inc vs UnitedHealth Group Inc — how do they compare? HCA Health Inc trades at $451.09 (market cap $96.35B), while UnitedHealth Group Inc trades at $379.3 (market cap $332.96B). The key difference: UnitedHealth Group Inc is far larger — about 3.5× HCA Health Inc's market cap, and UnitedHealth Group Inc pays the higher dividend (2.5%). Which is the better fit depends on your goals — on Pluang, investors hold HCA Health Inc for 76 Days and UnitedHealth Group Inc for 97 Days on average.
| HCA | UNH | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $96.35B | $332.96B |
Volume | 1,079,453 | 7,273,749 |
Sector | Health | Health |
52-Week High | $545.13 | $436.35 |
52-Week Low | $361.32 | $259.02 |
Typical Hold Time | 76 Days | 97 Days |
Enterprise Value | $146.88B | $374.82B |
Dividend Yield | 0.7% | 2.5% |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
HCA Healthcare trades at $451.09, up 2.71% with strong technical momentum and bullish analyst sentiment. The stock shows consistent earnings beats with Q4 2025 and Q1-Q2 2026 exceeding expectations, supported by robust revenue growth from $70.6B in 2024 to $75.6B in 2025. Valuation metrics remain attractive with P/E of 14.92 and P/S of 1.31, while technical indicators signal bullish momentum above key support levels.
The outlook remains positive with 63% analyst buy ratings and $461.12 consensus target, though legal investigations and high debt levels pose risks. Revenue growth and operational efficiency provide upside potential, but investors should monitor regulatory developments and debt management closely given the 80.9% debt-to-asset ratio in 2025.
UnitedHealth Group (UNH) trades at $370.95, down 1.34% on the day, amid a bearish technical signal from moving averages. The company reported strong Q2 2026 earnings, beating estimates with EPS of $6.38 versus $4.91 expected, and raised full-year guidance. Revenue for 2025 reached $447.57 billion, though net income margin declined to 2.69%. Analyst consensus remains strongly bullish with an 82.69% buy rating and a $470.11 price target, suggesting significant upside from current levels.
UNH presents a compelling investment case driven by earnings beats, raised 2026 outlook, and strategic initiatives like AI investment in Optum. Key risks include regulatory pressures in healthcare, volatility from Medicare Advantage plan changes, and margin compression. The stock's valuation at a P/E of 23.84 appears reasonable given growth prospects, but investors should weigh execution risks against the positive analyst sentiment and institutional backing.
Trailing returns across standard periods
What Pluang investors did over the last 30 days
Latest headlines on both assets
HCA Healthcare is a Nashville-based healthcare provider organization operating the largest collection of acute-care hospitals in the U.S. As of December 2021, the firm owned and operated 182 hospitals, 125 freestanding outpatient surgery centers, and a broad network of physician offices, urgent care clinics, and freestanding emergency rooms across nearly 20 states and a small foothold in England.
Read more on HCA →UnitedHealth Group is one of the largest private health insurers, providing medical benefits to 50 million members globally, including 5 million outside the U.S. at the end of 2021. As a leader in employer-sponsored, self-directed, and government-backed insurance plans, UnitedHealth has obtained massive scale in managed care. Along with its insurance assets, UnitedHealth's continued investments in its Optum franchises have created a healthcare services colossus that spans everything from medical and pharmaceutical benefits to providing outpatient care and analytics to both affiliated and third-party customers.
Read more on UNH →