How UNH Stock Returned $78 Billion To Shareholders

Core Insights - UnitedHealth Group has returned $78 billion to shareholders over the past decade, comprising $26 billion in dividends and $52 billion in share repurchases [2] - The company's capital return strategy is supported by the growth of its UnitedHealthcare insurance and Optum health services divisions, with over 15 years of consistent dividend increases and aggressive share count reductions [3] Financial Performance - UnitedHealth's revenue growth stands at 10.5% for the last twelve months (LTM) and an average of 11.4% over the past three years [10] - The company has a free cash flow margin of nearly 4.0% and an operating margin of 6.1% LTM [10] - The lowest annual revenue growth recorded in the past three years was 9.4% [10] - UnitedHealth stock is currently trading at a price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 18.1 [10] Market Position - The total capital returned to shareholders as a percentage of market cap appears inversely proportional to future growth potential for reinvestments, with companies like Meta and Microsoft showing faster growth but lower capital returns [6] - UnitedHealth's capital return strategy ranks among the top 30 historically, reflecting management's confidence in financial stability and sustainable cash flows [5]