SBUX vs UNH: Which Is the Better Buy?
Side-by-side comparison of Starbucks Corporation and UnitedHealth Group Incorporated — fair value, conviction, valuation metrics, and QuantHub research signals.
Updated 2026-09-18.
Starbucks Corporation · Consumer Cyclical
$96.67
+12.3% 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 |
SBUX |
UNH |
| Current Price |
$96.67 |
$375.21 |
| Fair Value Estimate |
$108.52 |
$481.06 |
| Upside to Fair Value |
+12.3%
|
+28.2%
|
| Market Cap |
$110.2B |
$340.7B |
| Forward P/E |
—
|
—
|
| EV / EBITDA |
22.0x
|
15.0x
|
| Price / Sales |
2.9x
|
0.8x
|
| Price / FCF |
30.4x
|
14.4x
|
| Revenue Growth YoY |
-1.4%
|
+0.4%
|
| Gross Margin |
31.7%
|
22.5%
|
| Operating Margin |
9.4%
|
4.8%
|
| Return on Equity |
-24.3%
|
14.6%
|
| Dividend Yield |
2.57% |
2.41% |
| FCF Yield |
3.29%
|
6.95%
|
| Analyst Consensus |
Buy
|
Strong Buy
|
Investment Thesis
Starbucks is the world's largest specialty coffee retailer, operating company-owned and licensed coffeehouses across North America, International, and Channel Development segments, with a brand that has historically supported premium pricing and global scale. The business quality is currently strained: revenue declined 1.4% year over year in the most recent quarter, TTM operating margin is 9.4%, …
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 |
SBUX |
UNH |
| Zone Low |
$81.39 |
$360.80 |
| Zone High |
$92.24 |
$408.90 |
| In Buy Zone? |
No
|
Yes
|