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UnitedHealth Group Inc. (UNH)
Analysis of Property, Plant and Equipment
Advanced level
Accounting Policy on Property, Plant and Equipment
Property, equipment and capitalized software are stated at cost, net of accumulated depreciation and amortization. Capitalized software consists of certain costs incurred in the development of internal-use software, including external direct costs of materials and services and applicable payroll costs of employees devoted to specific software development.
UnitedHealth Group calculates depreciation and amortization using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the assets. The useful lives for property, equipment and capitalized software are:
| Furniture, fixtures and equipment | 3 to 10 years |
| Buildings | 35 to 40 years |
| Capitalized software | 3 to 5 years |
Leasehold improvements are depreciated over the shorter of the remaining lease term or their estimated useful economic life.
Source: 10-K (filing date: 2019-02-12).
Property, Plant and Equipment Disclosure
UnitedHealth Group Inc., balance sheet: property, plant and equipment
US$ in millions
Based on: 10-K (filing date: 2019-02-12), 10-K (filing date: 2018-02-13), 10-K (filing date: 2017-02-08), 10-K (filing date: 2016-02-09), 10-K (filing date: 2015-02-10).
| Item | Description | The company |
|---|---|---|
| Property, equipment and capitalized software, gross | Amount before accumulated depreciation, depletion and amortization of physical assets used in the normal conduct of business and not intended for resale. Examples include, but are not limited to, land, buildings, machinery and equipment, office equipment, and furniture and fixtures. | UnitedHealth Group Inc.’s property, equipment and capitalized software, gross increased from 2016 to 2017 and from 2017 to 2018. |
| Property, equipment and capitalized software, net | Amount after accumulated depreciation, depletion and amortization of physical assets used in the normal conduct of business to produce goods and services and not intended for resale. Examples include, but are not limited to, land, buildings, machinery and equipment, office equipment, and furniture and fixtures. | UnitedHealth Group Inc.’s property, equipment and capitalized software, net increased from 2016 to 2017 and from 2017 to 2018. |
Asset Age Ratios (Summary)
UnitedHealth Group Inc., asset age ratios
Based on: 10-K (filing date: 2019-02-12), 10-K (filing date: 2018-02-13), 10-K (filing date: 2017-02-08), 10-K (filing date: 2016-02-09), 10-K (filing date: 2015-02-10).
| Asset age ratio | Description | The company |
|---|---|---|
| Average age ratio | As long as straight-line depreciation is used, this is an accurate estimate of asset age as a percentage of depreciable life. The relative age is a useful measure of whether the company’s fixed asset base is old or new. Newer assets are likely to be more efficient. | UnitedHealth Group Inc.’s average age ratio of depreciable property, plant and equipment improved from 2016 to 2017 and from 2017 to 2018. |
| Estimated total useful life | Over longer time periods, this ratio is a useful measure of company’s depreciation policy and can be used for comparisons with competitors. | UnitedHealth Group Inc.’s estimated total useful life of depreciable property, plant and equipment decreased from 2016 to 2017 but then increased from 2017 to 2018 not reaching 2016 level. |
| Estimated time elapsed since purchase | The approximate age in years of a company’s fixed assets. Useful for comparison purposes. | UnitedHealth Group Inc.’s estimated time elapsed since purchase of depreciable property, plant and equipment improved from 2016 to 2017 and from 2017 to 2018. |
| Estimated remaining life | UnitedHealth Group Inc.’s estimated remaining life of depreciable property, plant and equipment increased from 2016 to 2017 and from 2017 to 2018. |
Average Age
Based on: 10-K (filing date: 2019-02-12), 10-K (filing date: 2018-02-13), 10-K (filing date: 2017-02-08), 10-K (filing date: 2016-02-09), 10-K (filing date: 2015-02-10).
2018 Calculations
1 Average age = 100 × Accumulated depreciation and amortization ÷ (Property, equipment and capitalized software, gross – Land and improvements)
= 100 × ÷ ( – ) =
| Asset age ratio | Description | The company |
|---|---|---|
| Average age | As long as straight-line depreciation is used, this is an accurate estimate of asset age as a percentage of depreciable life. The relative age is a useful measure of whether the company’s fixed asset base is old or new. Newer assets are likely to be more efficient. | UnitedHealth Group Inc.’s average age ratio of depreciable property, plant and equipment improved from 2016 to 2017 and from 2017 to 2018. |
Estimated Total Useful Life
Based on: 10-K (filing date: 2019-02-12), 10-K (filing date: 2018-02-13), 10-K (filing date: 2017-02-08), 10-K (filing date: 2016-02-09), 10-K (filing date: 2015-02-10).
2018 Calculations
1 Estimated total useful life = (Property, equipment and capitalized software, gross – Land and improvements) ÷ Depreciation expense for property and equipment and amortization expense for capitalized software
= ( – ) ÷ =
| Asset age ratio | Description | The company |
|---|---|---|
| Estimated total useful life | Over longer time periods, this ratio is a useful measure of company’s depreciation policy and can be used for comparisons with competitors. | UnitedHealth Group Inc.’s estimated total useful life of depreciable property, plant and equipment decreased from 2016 to 2017 but then increased from 2017 to 2018 not reaching 2016 level. |
Estimated Age, Time Elapsed since Purchase
Based on: 10-K (filing date: 2019-02-12), 10-K (filing date: 2018-02-13), 10-K (filing date: 2017-02-08), 10-K (filing date: 2016-02-09), 10-K (filing date: 2015-02-10).
2018 Calculations
1 Time elapsed since purchase = Accumulated depreciation and amortization ÷ Depreciation expense for property and equipment and amortization expense for capitalized software
= ÷ =
| Asset age ratio | Description | The company |
|---|---|---|
| Estimated time elapsed since purchase | The approximate age in years of a company’s fixed assets. Useful for comparison purposes. | UnitedHealth Group Inc.’s estimated time elapsed since purchase of depreciable property, plant and equipment improved from 2016 to 2017 and from 2017 to 2018. |
Estimated Remaining Life
Based on: 10-K (filing date: 2019-02-12), 10-K (filing date: 2018-02-13), 10-K (filing date: 2017-02-08), 10-K (filing date: 2016-02-09), 10-K (filing date: 2015-02-10).
2018 Calculations
1 Estimated remaining life = (Property, equipment and capitalized software, net – Land and improvements) ÷ Depreciation expense for property and equipment and amortization expense for capitalized software
= ( – ) ÷ =
| Asset age ratio | Description | The company |
|---|---|---|
| Estimated remaining life | UnitedHealth Group Inc.’s estimated remaining life of depreciable property, plant and equipment increased from 2016 to 2017 and from 2017 to 2018. |