CNO Financial Group, Inc. vs UnitedHealth Group Incorporated, two Managed Care stocks. A side-by-side on valuation, growth, margins, returns, and what each price is betting.
32.19 against 21.09: the multiples, and the order surprises, UnitedHealth mid-crisis priced eleven turns above CNO Financial mid-normalcy. The giant earns 8.1% operating margins across its insurer-provider-PBM stack and pays 2% in dividends while it rebuilds credibility; the niche senior-market underwriter earns 12.6% operating margins in obscurity with a 1.3% dividend. Returns on equity sit near 11.6% and 9.8%. CNO runs debt-free; UnitedHealth carries 0.75 turns. Both cash-flow figures wear float asterisks. The market is paying a premium for UnitedHealth's scale and eventual recovery over CNO's small steady present, which is defensible; the size of the premium, mid-recovery, is the arguable part.
Comparison updated 2026-07-10.
| Metric | CNO | UNH |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $52.52 | $427.44 |
| Market cap | $5.0B | $389.0B |
| Sector | Managed Care | Managed Care |
| Stage | Mature | Mature |
| P/E | 21.1 | 32.2 |
| P/B | 2.02 | 3.74 |
| P/S | 1.12 | 0.86 |
| EV/EBITDA | 7.6 | 18.9 |
| Revenue growth | +5.0% | +9.8% |
| Operating margin | 12.6% | 8.1% |
| Net margin | 5.4% | 2.7% |
| Return on equity | 9.8% | 11.6% |
| Return on assets | 0.6% | 3.9% |
| Return on invested capital | 18.0% | 8.4% |
| FCF yield | 13.6% | 5.1% |
| Dividend yield | 1.3% | 2.0% |
| Debt / equity | 0.00 | 0.75 |
| Current ratio | — | 0.80 |
| Altman Z (solvency) | 0.30 | 3.02 |
| Piotroski F (quality) | 7 / 9 | 6 / 9 |
Each week boothcheck ranks the stocks whose prices are betting on the most. Read the most stretched bets archive →
boothcheck is also on Android. Get the app on Google Play →
The stronger value is highlighted per metric where one is strictly better on that single number; it is not an overall verdict on either company. For informational and research purposes only. Not investment advice. Not a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security. boothcheck is not a registered investment adviser. Past performance does not guarantee future results.