COP vs UNH: Which Is the Better Buy?

Side-by-side comparison of ConocoPhillips and UnitedHealth Group Incorporated โ€” fair value, conviction, valuation metrics, and QuantHub research signals. Updated 2026-05-01.
ConocoPhillips ยท Energy
$125.78
-2.1% upside to fair value
Grade C
VS
UnitedHealth Group Incorporated ยท Healthcare
$353.52
+45.0% upside to fair value
Grade B High Quality
QuantHub Verdict
UNH has more upside to fair value (+45.0%). COP trades at a lower forward P/E (21.0x). These are model outputs โ€” not personalized investment advice. See all research โ†’
Valuation & Fundamentals
Metric COP UNH
Current Price $125.78 $353.52
Fair Value Estimate $123.15 $512.60
Upside to Fair Value -2.1% +45.0%
Market Cap $153.3B $320.9B
Forward P/E 21.0x 26.7x
EV / EBITDA 7.5x 16.1x
Price / Sales 2.6x 0.7x
Price / FCF 8.4x 16.3x
Revenue Growth YoY -2.5% +2.0%
Gross Margin 33.1% 18.8%
Operating Margin 25.4% 4.2%
Return on Equity 11.3% 12.4%
Dividend Yield 0% 0%
FCF Yield 11.96% 6.13%
Analyst Consensus Strong Buy Strong Buy
Investment Thesis
COP โ€” ConocoPhillips
ConocoPhillips is a leading independent oil and gas exploration and production company with a strong focus on low-cost shale assets and sustainability initiatives. The company benefits from a durable competitive position due to its cost advantage and early ESG leadership, but faces near-term earnings pressure as revenue declined 2.5% and earnings fell 23.4% in the most recent quarter year-over-yeโ€ฆ
UNH โ€” UnitedHealth Group Incorporated
UnitedHealth Group Incorporated operates as a leading healthcare company with two main platforms: UnitedHealthcare, providing health benefits coverage, and Optum, offering information and technology services. The company benefits from a durable competitive moat due to its scale, integrated platforms, and broad market reach serving over 170 million consumers. Despite strong revenue growth of 12% yโ€ฆ
Accumulation Zones
Metric COP UNH
Zone Low $92.36 $384.45
Zone High $104.68 $435.71
In Buy Zone? No Yes
โ† COP Research    UNH Research โ†’    All Research