ISRG vs UNH: Which Is the Better Buy?

Side-by-side comparison of Intuitive Surgical, Inc. and UnitedHealth Group Incorporated — fair value, conviction, valuation metrics, and QuantHub research signals. Updated 2026-04-22.
Intuitive Surgical, Inc. · Healthcare
$451.29
+130.4% upside to fair value
Grade B High Quality
VS
UnitedHealth Group Incorporated · Healthcare
$304.33
+41.3% upside to fair value
Med Conviction Grade B+
QuantHub Verdict
ISRG has more upside to fair value (+130.4%). UNH trades at a lower forward P/E (15.1x). These are model outputs — not personalized investment advice. See all research →
Valuation & Fundamentals
Metric ISRG UNH
Current Price $451.29 $304.33
Fair Value Estimate $1,039.74 $430.00
Upside to Fair Value +130.4% +41.3%
Market Cap $160.3B $276.2B
Forward P/E 53.8x 15.1x
EV / EBITDA 40.5x 14.3x
Price / Sales 15.2x 0.6x
Price / FCF 64.3x 17.2x
Revenue Growth YoY +23.0% +11.8%
Gross Margin 66.3% 18.5%
Operating Margin 30.5% 4.2%
Return on Equity 17.0% 12.7%
Dividend Yield 0% 2.9%
FCF Yield 1.55% 5.82%
Analyst Consensus Strong Buy Buy
Investment Thesis
ISRG — Intuitive Surgical, Inc.
Intuitive Surgical, Inc. is a leading healthcare company specializing in robotic-assisted surgery through its flagship da Vinci system, which has established a durable competitive moat with approximately 10,000 systems installed globally and nearly 17 million procedures performed by the end of 2024. The company benefits from a high-quality business model characterized by 85% recurring revenue, st…
UNH — UnitedHealth Group Incorporated
UnitedHealth Group is the world's largest diversified healthcare company, combining the dominant US health insurer UnitedHealthcare with the high-margin Optum services platform spanning care delivery, pharmacy benefits, and data analytics. The stock has fallen roughly 49% from its 2024 peak of $596, driven by elevated medical costs, DOJ antitrust scrutiny, CEO transitions (Brian Thompson's murder…
Accumulation Zones
Metric ISRG UNH
Zone Low $779.81 $280.00
Zone High $883.78 $340.00
In Buy Zone? Yes Yes
← ISRG Research    UNH Research →    All Research