KO vs UNH: Which Is the Better Buy?
Side-by-side comparison of The Coca-Cola Company and UnitedHealth Group Incorporated β fair value, conviction, valuation metrics, and QuantHub research signals.
Updated 2026-09-18.
The Coca-Cola Company Β· Consumer Defensive
$88.71
+15.5% upside to fair value
Med Conviction
Grade C
High Quality
VS
UnitedHealth Group Incorporated Β· Healthcare
$375.21
+28.2% upside to fair value
Med Conviction
Grade B
High Quality
QuantHub Verdict
UNH has more upside to fair value
(+28.2%).
These are model outputs β not personalized investment advice.
See all research β
Valuation & Fundamentals
| Metric |
KO |
UNH |
| Current Price |
$88.71 |
$375.21 |
| Fair Value Estimate |
$102.44 |
$481.06 |
| Upside to Fair Value |
+15.5%
|
+28.2%
|
| Market Cap |
$381.7B |
$340.7B |
| Forward P/E |
β
|
β
|
| EV / EBITDA |
20.8x
|
15.0x
|
| Price / Sales |
7.6x
|
0.8x
|
| Price / FCF |
26.7x
|
14.4x
|
| Revenue Growth YoY |
+6.7%
|
+0.4%
|
| Gross Margin |
61.9%
|
22.5%
|
| Operating Margin |
29.6%
|
4.8%
|
| Return on Equity |
43.0%
|
14.6%
|
| Dividend Yield |
2.37% |
2.41% |
| FCF Yield |
3.75%
|
6.95%
|
| Analyst Consensus |
Strong Buy
|
Strong Buy
|
Investment Thesis
The Coca-Cola Company is a global non-alcoholic beverage concentrate, brand-management and bottling-system business with products sold in more than 200 countries and territories, supported by powerful trademarks, 2.2 billion daily servings and an entrenched distribution network. Business quality is high: TTM gross, operating and net margins are 61.9%, 29.6% and 28.6%, respectively, ROE is 43.0%, β¦
UnitedHealth Group is the largest diversified healthcare enterprise in the United States, operating UnitedHealthcare insurance plans alongside Optum Health, Optum Insight, and Optum Rx, with 390,000 employees and a market capitalization of $340.74 billion. The business quality is high: a 14.6% return on equity, $26.07 in free cash flow per share, and a P/FCF of 14.39 demonstrate strong cash generβ¦
Accumulation Zones
| Metric |
KO |
UNH |
| Zone Low |
$76.83 |
$360.80 |
| Zone High |
$87.07 |
$408.90 |
| In Buy Zone? |
No
|
Yes
|