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
KO β€” The Coca-Cola Company
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%, …
UNH β€” UnitedHealth Group Incorporated
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 gener…
Accumulation Zones
Metric KO UNH
Zone Low $76.83 $360.80
Zone High $87.07 $408.90
In Buy Zone? No Yes
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