NKE vs UNH: Which Is the Better Buy?
Side-by-side comparison of NIKE, Inc. and UnitedHealth Group Incorporated — fair value, conviction, valuation metrics, and QuantHub research signals.
Updated 2026-09-18.
NIKE, Inc. · Consumer Cyclical
$35.78
+9.9% upside to fair value
Med Conviction
Grade C
VS
UnitedHealth Group Incorporated · 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 — not personalized investment advice.
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Valuation & Fundamentals
| Metric |
NKE |
UNH |
| Current Price |
$35.78 |
$375.21 |
| Fair Value Estimate |
$39.33 |
$481.06 |
| Upside to Fair Value |
+9.9%
|
+28.2%
|
| Market Cap |
$53.0B |
$340.7B |
| Forward P/E |
—
|
—
|
| EV / EBITDA |
12.0x
|
15.0x
|
| Price / Sales |
1.1x
|
0.8x
|
| Price / FCF |
24.3x
|
14.4x
|
| Revenue Growth YoY |
-1.1%
|
+0.4%
|
| Gross Margin |
42.9%
|
22.5%
|
| Operating Margin |
8.2%
|
4.8%
|
| Return on Equity |
22.0%
|
14.6%
|
| Dividend Yield |
4.58% |
2.41% |
| FCF Yield |
4.12%
|
6.95%
|
| Analyst Consensus |
Hold
|
Strong Buy
|
Investment Thesis
NIKE designs, markets and distributes athletic footwear, apparel and equipment through the Nike, Jordan and Converse brands, supported by global athlete marketing, valuable intellectual property and a broad wholesale and owned-digital network. Business quality is medium: its brand moat and 22.0% ROE remain meaningful, but the moat is narrowing amid intense competition, weak direct sales and uneve…
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 |
NKE |
UNH |
| Zone Low |
$29.50 |
$360.80 |
| Zone High |
$33.43 |
$408.90 |
| In Buy Zone? |
No
|
Yes
|