MOLINA HEALTHCARE, INC. vs UnitedHealth Group Incorporated, two Managed Care stocks. A side-by-side on valuation, growth, margins, returns, and what each price is betting.
The growth question here is really a recovery question, asked at two scales: UnitedHealth, at $389B and 32.2 times earnings, is priced for its diversified insurer-provider machine to resume compounding; Molina, at $12B with no usable multiple, for Medicaid rates to catch up with medical costs. The operating gap is wide, 8.1% against 0.77%, and the diversification gap wider: UnitedHealth's Optum arms cushion what Molina absorbs directly. UnitedHealth pays a 2% dividend through its repair; Molina retains. Debt is similar in turns. A premium sits on the recovery the market considers certain, and nothing at all on the one it considers cyclical; the sizing of those beliefs is the whole page.
Comparison updated 2026-07-10.
| Metric | MOH | UNH |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $229.88 | $427.44 |
| Market cap | $11.7B | $389.0B |
| Sector | Managed Care | Managed Care |
| Stage | Mature | Mature |
| P/E | — | 32.2 |
| P/B | 2.87 | 3.74 |
| P/S | 0.26 | 0.86 |
| EV/EBITDA | 16.5 | 18.9 |
| Revenue growth | +8.0% | +9.8% |
| Operating margin | 0.8% | 8.1% |
| Net margin | 0.4% | 2.7% |
| Return on equity | 4.6% | 11.6% |
| Return on assets | 1.1% | 3.9% |
| Return on invested capital | 2.6% | 8.4% |
| FCF yield | 2.1% | 5.1% |
| Dividend yield | — | 2.0% |
| Debt / equity | 0.92 | 0.75 |
| Current ratio | 1.63 | 0.80 |
| Altman Z (solvency) | 4.02 | 3.02 |
| Piotroski F (quality) | 7 / 9 | 6 / 9 |
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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.