COST vs UNH
Comparison between Costco Wholesale Corp (COST, Company) and Unitedhealth Group Inc (UNH, Company).
COST is from the Consumer Defensive sector, while UNH is from the Healthcare sector.
5-Year PerformanceCOST has outperformed UNH, delivering a return of +18.8% compared to +2.8%
COST vs UNH - Performance Comparison
Key Characteristics
Financial metrics and valuation ratios
Market Cap
Winner
COST
$406B
UNH
$380B
Max Drawdown
Winner
COST
53.39%
UNH
74.45%
Sharpe Ratio
COST
-0.18
Winner
UNH
1.27
5Y Beta
COST
0.39
Winner
UNH
0.29
Industry
COST
Discount Stores
UNH
Healthcare Plans
P/E Ratio
COST
46.00
Winner
UNH
31.51
Forward P/E
COST
41.49
Winner
UNH
23.31
PEG Ratio
COST
3.63
Winner
UNH
1.49
Dividend Yield
COST
0.57%
Winner
UNH
1.04%
5Y Dividends CAGR
COST
-12.35%
Winner
UNH
17.42%
5Y EPS CAGR
Winner
COST
13.27%
UNH
-5.71%
Debt to Equity
Winner
COST
16.92%
UNH
75.00%
Free Cash Flow Yield
COST
2.17%
Winner
UNH
5.18%
P/S Ratio
COST
1.39
Winner
UNH
0.86
P/B Ratio
COST
12.26
Winner
UNH
3.98
COST vs UNH - Historical Returns
Returns include dividend reinvestment.
1M
COST
-2.33%
Winner
UNH
+7.30%
3M
COST
-7.48%
Winner
UNH
+26.82%
6M
COST
-5.19%
Winner
UNH
+27.16%
1Y
COST
-1.38%
Winner
UNH
+58.81%
5Y(CAGR)
Winner
COST
+18.76%
UNH
+2.82%
10Y(CAGR)
Winner
COST
+20.75%
UNH
+13.67%
Max(CAGR)
COST
+14.29%
Winner
UNH
+18.21%
COST vs UNH - Annual Returns (1999 - 2026)
Returns include dividend reinvestment.
| Year | COST | UNH |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | +9.05% | +31.45% |
| 2025 | -4.72% | -32.93% |
| 2024 | +41.64% | -4.74% |
| 2023 | +50.03% | +3.04% |
| 2022 | -18.91% | +6.92% |
| 2021 | +50.47% | +45.70% |
| 2020 | +33.72% | +21.82% |
| 2019 | +44.95% | +22.76% |
| 2018 | +9.30% | +14.16% |
| 2017 | +22.66% | +38.60% |
| 2016 | +1.51% | +39.81% |
| 2015 | +19.11% | +18.62% |
| 2014 | +21.70% | +37.79% |
| 2013 | +18.56% | +40.26% |
| 2012 | +26.50% | +6.88% |
| 2011 | +16.31% | +38.28% |
| 2010 | +23.17% | +15.90% |
| 2009 | +12.51% | +10.63% |
| 2008 | -22.17% | -52.98% |
| 2007 | +33.29% | +10.77% |
| 2006 | +6.93% | -12.91% |
| 2005 | +4.29% | +43.52% |
| 2004 | +34.26% | +49.17% |
| 2003 | +28.16% | +35.80% |
| 2002 | -36.87% | +18.62% |
| 2001 | +7.74% | +20.13% |
| 2000 | -10.25% | +128.51% |
| 1999 | +16.15% | +1.78% |
COST vs UNH Drawdown Comparison
The maximum drawdown for COST was -53.39%, occurring on Dec 24, 2002. Recovery took 1551 trading sessions.
The maximum drawdown for UNH was -74.37%, occurring on Nov 20, 2008. Recovery took 1829 trading sessions.
The current COST drawdown is -15.09%. The current UNH drawdown is -27.24%.
| Rank | COST | UNH |
|---|---|---|
| #1 | -53.39% May 1, 2000 - Jul 3, 2006 | -74.37% Dec 21, 2005 - Apr 2, 2013 |
| #2 | -48.03% Jul 8, 2008 - Dec 20, 2010 | -61.39% Nov 11, 2024 - Aug 1, 2025 |
| #3 | -31.40% Apr 7, 2022 - Dec 5, 2023 | -35.92% Feb 19, 2020 - May 29, 2020 |
| #4 | -22.02% Sep 11, 2018 - Apr 1, 2019 | -24.27% Feb 17, 2000 - Apr 10, 2000 |
| #5 | -20.74% Feb 13, 2025 - May 18, 2026 | -23.98% Dec 3, 2018 - Dec 12, 2019 |
| #6 | -20.65% Feb 3, 2000 - Mar 16, 2000 | -23.85% Oct 23, 2002 - Jun 11, 2003 |
| #7 | -19.49% Dec 1, 2020 - May 27, 2021 | -19.99% Nov 30, 2023 - Jul 16, 2024 |
| #8 | -18.54% Jul 3, 2006 - Feb 15, 2007 | -19.85% May 1, 2001 - Jul 18, 2001 |
| #9 | -17.43% Jun 7, 2017 - Nov 30, 2017 | -18.48% Oct 31, 2022 - Nov 30, 2023 |
| #10 | -16.57% May 19, 2026 - Jul 9, 2026 | -17.50% Dec 28, 2000 - Apr 25, 2001 |
| #11 | -16.23% Dec 7, 2007 - May 1, 2008 | -16.91% Apr 20, 2022 - Aug 15, 2022 |
| #12 | -15.93% Dec 29, 2021 - Mar 29, 2022 | -15.58% Jun 19, 2002 - Oct 16, 2002 |
| #13 | -15.86% Dec 8, 2015 - Jul 19, 2016 | -15.18% Nov 18, 1999 - Jan 7, 2000 |
| #14 | -15.80% May 19, 2011 - Sep 16, 2011 | -14.78% Jul 6, 2000 - Aug 11, 2000 |
| #15 | -15.60% Aug 12, 2016 - Feb 8, 2017 | -14.70% Jan 13, 2000 - Feb 17, 2000 |
Correlation
Correlation between COST and UNH is 0.87 which considered as a strong positive correlation - the stocks tend to move together.
0.87
-101
Dividend Comparison (2000 - 2026)
COST vs UNH dividend yield comparison.
| Year | COST | UNH |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 0.30% | 1.04% |
| 2025 | 0.59% | 2.64% |
| 2024 | 0.49% | 1.62% |
| 2023 | 2.87% | 1.38% |
| 2022 | 0.76% | 1.21% |
| 2021 | 0.54% | 1.12% |
| 2020 | 3.38% | 1.38% |
| 2019 | 0.86% | 1.41% |
| 2018 | 1.08% | 1.38% |
| 2017 | 4.81% | 1.30% |
| 2016 | 1.09% | 1.48% |
| 2015 | 4.06% | 1.59% |
| 2014 | 0.97% | 1.39% |
| 2013 | 1.01% | 1.40% |
| 2012 | 8.17% | 1.47% |
| 2011 | 1.11% | 1.21% |
| 2010 | 1.10% | 1.12% |
| 2009 | 1.18% | 0.10% |
| 2008 | 1.19% | 0.23% |
| 2007 | 0.81% | 0.05% |
| 2006 | 0.96% | 0.06% |
| 2005 | 0.90% | 0.02% |
| 2004 | 0.62% | 0.03% |
| 2003 | 0.00% | 0.03% |
| 2002 | 0.00% | 0.04% |
| 2001 | 0.00% | 0.04% |
| 2000 | 0.00% | 0.02% |
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