MA vs UNH: Which Is the Better Buy?
Side-by-side comparison of Mastercard Incorporated and UnitedHealth Group Incorporated — fair value, conviction, valuation metrics, and QuantHub research signals.
Updated 2026-07-17.
Mastercard Incorporated · Financial Services
$543.60
+45.0% upside to fair value
High Conviction
Grade A
High Quality
VS
UnitedHealth Group Incorporated · Healthcare
$423.38
+45.0% upside to fair value
Grade B
High Quality
Valuation & Fundamentals
| Metric |
MA |
UNH |
| Current Price |
$543.60 |
$423.38 |
| Fair Value Estimate |
$788.22 |
$613.90 |
| Upside to Fair Value |
+45.0%
|
+45.0%
|
| Market Cap |
$480.3B |
$384.5B |
| Forward P/E |
—
|
27.2x
|
| EV / EBITDA |
23.3x
|
13.8x
|
| Price / Sales |
14.2x
|
0.8x
|
| Price / FCF |
27.1x
|
19.6x
|
| Revenue Growth YoY |
+15.8%
|
+0.4%
|
| Gross Margin |
83.0%
|
18.8%
|
| Operating Margin |
59.4%
|
4.2%
|
| Return on Equity |
206.1%
|
12.4%
|
| Dividend Yield |
0.62% |
0% |
| FCF Yield |
3.69%
|
5.12%
|
| Analyst Consensus |
Strong Buy
|
Strong Buy
|
Investment Thesis
Mastercard operates a global two-sided payments network that connects issuers, acquirers, merchants and cardholders, monetizing payment volumes and an expanding set of security, data, authentication and other value-added services. Business quality is high: the network benefits from powerful acceptance and scale effects, 83.0% gross margin, 59.4% operating margin, 45.9% net margin, 206.1% ROE, and…
UnitedHealth Group Incorporated operates in the healthcare sector, specifically within medical and healthcare plans, providing a durable business model supported by a strong competitive moat and consistent earnings growth. The company currently trades at a price of $423.38 with a market cap of $359.873 billion, reflecting a valuation that is cheap relative to its five-year history, supported by a…
Accumulation Zones
| Metric |
MA |
UNH |
| Zone Low |
$591.16 |
$460.42 |
| Zone High |
$669.99 |
$521.81 |
| In Buy Zone? |
Yes
|
Yes
|