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CVS or ELV or UNH
Which Stock Would AI Choose? CVS Health (CVS) vs. Elevance Health (ELV) vs. UnitedHealth Group (UNH) Stock Comparison
Key Takeaways
- UNH leads with the strongest year-to-date (YTD) gains at over 12% and a 34% rally in recent weeks, driven by a Q1 earnings beat.
- ELV delivered a significant Q1 earnings surprise, boosting shares amid Medicaid margin recovery expectations.
- CVS rose about 12-14% in recent market activity, supported by regulatory tailwinds for its pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) operations.
- All three stocks operate in managed healthcare but face shared pressures from Medicare Advantage rate adjustments, with sentiment shifting positively.
- Valuations vary: CVS trades at a high price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio above 59, while ELV appears cheaper at around 16.
- UNH's scale and diversified Optum unit provide relative stability compared to peers.
Introduction
In the competitive managed healthcare sector, CVS, ELV, and UNH stand out as key players offering health insurance, pharmacy services, and care delivery. This comparison analyzes their recent performance amid evolving regulatory landscapes, including Medicare rate changes and pharmacy benefit pressures. Investors tracking healthcare stocks for relative strength, valuation trade-offs, and momentum shifts will find value here, especially as Q1 earnings have reshaped market positioning in recent weeks.
CVS Overview and Recent Performance
CVS Health operates an integrated model encompassing retail pharmacies, pharmacy benefit management via Caremark, and health insurance through Aetna. With a market cap around $105 billion, it blends consumer-facing services with insurance. In recent market activity, shares climbed roughly 12-14% from late-March lows near $70, reflecting broader sector recovery and positive regulatory developments for PBMs. YTD gains stand at about 5%, with a 52-week range of $58 to $85. Sentiment has improved ahead of Q1 earnings, though high P/E above 59 signals caution on profitability pressures from reimbursements.
ELV Overview and Recent Performance
ELV (Elevance Health) focuses on health insurance across commercial, Medicaid, and Medicare Advantage plans, serving diverse populations. Market cap nears $81 billion, with shares trading between $274 and $424 over 52 weeks. Recent weeks saw gains following a strong Q1 earnings beat on April 22, with revenue up 1.5% to $49.5 billion and EPS significantly exceeding estimates. YTD performance is around 7%, buoyed by analyst upgrades tied to expected Medicaid margin stabilization. Positive recognition of primary care partners has further supported sentiment amid sector volatility.
UNH Overview and Recent Performance
UNH (UnitedHealth Group), the sector giant with a $335 billion market cap, combines UnitedHealthcare insurance with Optum's health services, analytics, and pharmacy care. Shares range from $235 to $410 over 52 weeks. Recent momentum has been robust, with a 34% surge post-Q1 earnings on April 21, where revenue topped $111 billion and adjusted EPS hit $7.23, beating forecasts. YTD up over 12%, analyst conviction lists highlight its scale and "shrink to grow" strategy, offsetting earlier Medicare headwinds.
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Head-to-Head Comparison
CVS, ELV, and UNH share healthcare exposure but differ in models: CVS's retail/PBM diversification contrasts with the insurers' focus, where UNH's Optum adds services revenue. Growth drivers include membership gains and cost controls, with UNH leading recent momentum. Risks like Medicare Advantage reimbursement cuts hit all, but ELV faces acute Medicaid pressures. Valuation sensitivity favors ELV's low P/E; CVS trades premium. Market sentiment has tilted positive post-earnings, with UNH gaining analyst favor for stability.
Tickeron AI Verdict
Tickeron's AI currently leans toward UNH based on superior trend consistency, post-earnings rally, diversified catalysts via Optum, and leading relative positioning in recent weeks. While ELV offers value and CVS diversification, UNH's scale suggests higher probability of outperformance amid stabilizing sector dynamics.
Disclaimer
The information on this webpage is provided for general informational and educational purposes only and is not intended as investment advice, a recommendation to purchase or sell any security, or an offer or solicitation related to investments. It does not consider your personal financial situation, goals, or risk profile, and all investing carries inherent risks, including the possibility of losing your entire investment. For more details, please review our full disclaimer. Disclaimers and Limitations
Long-Term Analysis
It is best to consider a long-term outlook for a ticker by using Fundamental Analysis (FA) ratings. The rating of 1 to 100, where 1 is best and 100 is worst, is divided into thirds. The first third (a green rating of 1-33) indicates that the ticker is undervalued; the second third (a grey number between 34 and 66) means that the ticker is valued fairly; and the last third (red number of 67 to 100) reflects that the ticker is undervalued. We use an FA Score to show how many ratings show the ticker to be undervalued (green) or overvalued (red).
CVS’s FA Score shows that 3 FA rating(s) are green whileELV’s FA Score has 2 green FA rating(s), and UNH’s FA Score reflects 3 green FA rating(s).
- CVS’s FA Score: 3 green, 2 red.
- ELV’s FA Score: 2 green, 3 red.
- UNH’s FA Score: 3 green, 2 red.
Short-Term Analysis
It is best to consider a short-term outlook for a ticker by using Technical Analysis (TA) indicators. We use Odds of Success as the percentage of outcomes which confirm successful trade signals in the past.
If the Odds of Success (the likelihood of the continuation of a trend) for each indicator are greater than 50%, then the generated signal is confirmed. A green percentage from 90% to 51% indicates that the ticker is in a bullish trend. A red percentage from 90% - 51% indicates that the ticker is in a bearish trend. All grey percentages are below 50% and are considered not to confirm the trend signal.
CVS’s TA Score shows that 4 TA indicator(s) are bullish while ELV’s TA Score has 4 bullish TA indicator(s), and UNH’s TA Score reflects 3 bullish TA indicator(s).
- CVS’s TA Score: 4 bullish, 4 bearish.
- ELV’s TA Score: 4 bullish, 5 bearish.
- UNH’s TA Score: 3 bullish, 5 bearish.
Price Growth
CVS (@Managed Health Care) experienced а +0.84% price change this week, while ELV (@Managed Health Care) price change was -0.68% , and UNH (@Managed Health Care) price fluctuated +0.39% for the same time period.
The average weekly price growth across all stocks in the @Managed Health Care industry was +1.85%. For the same industry, the average monthly price growth was +14.34%, and the average quarterly price growth was +36.76%.
Reported Earning Dates
CVS is expected to report earnings on Aug 05, 2026.
ELV is expected to report earnings on Jul 22, 2026.
UNH is expected to report earnings on Jul 16, 2026.
Industries' Descriptions
@Managed Health Care (+1.85% weekly)Managed healthcare industry focuses on providing health/medical and disability insurance plans, generally intended to reduce the cost of for-profit health care. The insurance products might be provided through employer-paid (fully or partly) insurance and benefit programs, or through Medicare/Medicaid. Some of the largest providers of managed health care include Aetna, Humana Inc., and Cigna, and UnitedHealthcare.
| CVS | ELV | UNH | |
| Capitalization | 130B | 85.8B | 372B |
| EBITDA | 11.1B | N/A | 22.8B |
| Gain YTD | 30.172 | 13.865 | 25.651 |
| P/E Ratio | 44.43 | 16.73 | 30.62 |
| Revenue | 408B | 200B | 450B |
| Total Cash | 11.8B | N/A | N/A |
| Total Debt | 78.3B | 31.8B | 77.9B |
CVS | ELV | UNH | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
OUTLOOK RATING 1..100 | 30 | 78 | 19 | |
VALUATION overvalued / fair valued / undervalued 1..100 | 4 Undervalued | 7 Undervalued | 6 Undervalued | |
PROFIT vs RISK RATING 1..100 | 70 | 91 | 92 | |
SMR RATING 1..100 | 89 | 98 | 64 | |
PRICE GROWTH RATING 1..100 | 12 | 27 | 13 | |
P/E GROWTH RATING 1..100 | 6 | 37 | 7 | |
SEASONALITY SCORE 1..100 | 50 | 75 | n/a |
Tickeron ratings are formulated such that a rating of 1 designates the most successful stocks in a given industry, while a rating of 100 points to the least successful stocks for that industry.
CVS's Valuation (4) in the Drugstore Chains industry is in the same range as UNH (6) in the Managed Health Care industry, and is in the same range as ELV (7) in the Managed Health Care industry. This means that CVS's stock grew similarly to UNH’s and similarly to ELV’s over the last 12 months.
CVS's Profit vs Risk Rating (70) in the Drugstore Chains industry is in the same range as ELV (91) in the Managed Health Care industry, and is in the same range as UNH (92) in the Managed Health Care industry. This means that CVS's stock grew similarly to ELV’s and similarly to UNH’s over the last 12 months.
UNH's SMR Rating (64) in the Managed Health Care industry is in the same range as CVS (89) in the Drugstore Chains industry, and is somewhat better than the same rating for ELV (98) in the Managed Health Care industry. This means that UNH's stock grew similarly to CVS’s and somewhat faster than ELV’s over the last 12 months.
CVS's Price Growth Rating (12) in the Drugstore Chains industry is in the same range as UNH (13) in the Managed Health Care industry, and is in the same range as ELV (27) in the Managed Health Care industry. This means that CVS's stock grew similarly to UNH’s and similarly to ELV’s over the last 12 months.
CVS's P/E Growth Rating (6) in the Drugstore Chains industry is in the same range as UNH (7) in the Managed Health Care industry, and is in the same range as ELV (37) in the Managed Health Care industry. This means that CVS's stock grew similarly to UNH’s and similarly to ELV’s over the last 12 months.
| CVS | ELV | UNH | |
|---|---|---|---|
| RSI ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 63% | 1 day ago 64% | 1 day ago 50% |
| Stochastic ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 55% | 1 day ago 62% | 1 day ago 66% |
| Momentum ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 68% | 1 day ago 58% | 1 day ago 66% |
| MACD ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 63% | 1 day ago 52% | 1 day ago 63% |
| TrendWeek ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 63% | 1 day ago 58% | 1 day ago 58% |
| TrendMonth ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 60% | 1 day ago 52% | 1 day ago 51% |
| Advances ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 66% | 1 day ago 56% | 1 day ago 54% |
| Declines ODDS (%) | 7 days ago 59% | 7 days ago 56% | 8 days ago 55% |
| BollingerBands ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 67% | 1 day ago 64% | 1 day ago 55% |
| Aroon ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 70% | 1 day ago 45% | 1 day ago 45% |
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ELV and
Correlation & Price change
A.I.dvisor indicates that over the last year, ELV has been loosely correlated with UNH. These tickers have moved in lockstep 64% of the time. This A.I.-generated data suggests there is some statistical probability that if ELV jumps, then UNH could also see price increases.
UNH and
Correlation & Price change
A.I.dvisor indicates that over the last year, UNH has been loosely correlated with ELV. These tickers have moved in lockstep 64% of the time. This A.I.-generated data suggests there is some statistical probability that if UNH jumps, then ELV could also see price increases.