Compare StocksGWW vs UNH

W.W. Grainger, Inc. (GWW) vs UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (UNH)

GWW
W.W. Grainger, Inc.
$1043.05
VS
UNH
UnitedHealth Group Incorporated
$280.44

Rewards

GWW
  • W.W. Grainger, Inc. has maintained ROIC above 15% for 4 consecutive years, indicating a durable competitive advantage.
  • W.W. Grainger, Inc. scores 90/100 on the Economic Moat Score (Wide Moat), with revenue predictability as the strongest competitive dimension.
  • Return on equity has consistently exceeded 20% over 4 years, indicating efficient use of shareholder capital.
UNH
  • 5 insider purchases over the past 12 months with a buy/sell ratio above 3:1 — a sustained pattern of insider confidence.
  • Dividend yield of 3.15% with a consistent or growing payout over the past 4 years.

Risks

GWW
  • FCF yield of 2.2% is below 3%, meaning the market is pricing in substantial future growth to justify the current price.
UNH
  • ROIC has declined by 7.9 percentage points over the observed period, which may signal competitive erosion.
  • Gross margin of 18.5% is low, suggesting a competitive or commodity-like market with limited pricing power.
  • FCF yield of 5.4% suggests reasonable valuation assuming continued moderate growth.

Key Valuation Metrics

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GWW
UNH
Valuation
$1.09B
Free Cash Flow
$13.86B
2.21%
FCF Yield
5.45%
29.50
Trailing P/E
21.18
21.49
Forward P/E
14.08
Quality & Moat
29.82%
ROIC
0.64%
41.20%
ROE
11.85%
39.06%
Gross Margin
18.53%
N/A
PEG Ratio
N/A
Balance Sheet Safety
0.69
Debt / Equity
0.82
N/A
Interest Coverage
N/A
0.77
Net Debt / EBITDA
2.54
0.87%
Dividend Yield
3.15%
GWW: 5Ties: 1UNH: 5
GWWUNH

Historical Fundamentals

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GWW

Price ÷ Earnings Per Share — how many years of current earnings you're paying for at today's price. Lower P/E may indicate undervaluation.

UNH

Price ÷ Earnings Per Share — how many years of current earnings you're paying for at today's price. Lower P/E may indicate undervaluation.

Price ÷ Earnings Per Share — how many years of current earnings you're paying for at today's price. Lower P/E may indicate undervaluation.

$1 Retained Earnings Test

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GWW
$4.78
created per $1 retained over 3 years
Exceptional Value Creator
Σ Retained
$4.16B
Δ Market Cap
+$19.89B
Buffett's "$1 Test": For every $1 of earnings retained, has management created at least $1 of market value?
> $1 created per $1 retained = Value Creator · < $1 created = Value Destroyer
UNH
$-7.37
created per $1 retained over 3 years
Market Cap Declined
Σ Retained
$26.63B
Δ Market Cap
$-196.16B
Buffett's "$1 Test": For every $1 of earnings retained, has management created at least $1 of market value?
> $1 created per $1 retained = Value Creator · < $1 created = Value Destroyer

Buffett's "$1 Test": For every $1 of earnings retained, has management created at least $1 of market value?
> $1 created per $1 retained = Value Creator · < $1 created = Value Destroyer

Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) Analysis

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GWW
15.6% Overvalued
Price is 15.6% above estimated fair value
Current Price: $1043.05
Fair Value: $902.07
Strongly undervalued
Undervalued
Fairly valued
Overvalued
Strongly overvalued
UNH
4.9% Margin of Safety
Price is 4.9% below estimated fair value
Current Price: $280.44
Fair Value: $294.90
Strongly undervalued
Undervalued
Fairly valued
Overvalued
Strongly overvalued

Reverse DCF — Market-Implied Growth

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GWW

What growth rate is the market pricing in at $1043?

+13.3%
Market-Implied Owner Earnings Growth
Standard FCF implies +19.5%

The market implies +13.3% Owner Earnings growth, above historical trends.

Standard FCF implies a demanding +19.5%, reflecting heavy growth investment.

UNH

What growth rate is the market pricing in at $280?

+11.1%
Market-Implied Owner Earnings Growth
Standard FCF implies +9.2%

The market implies +11.1% Owner Earnings growth, above historical trends.

Standard FCF implies a demanding +9.2%, reflecting heavy growth investment.

Economic Moat Score

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GWW
90/100
Wide Moat
70+ Wide · 40-69 Narrow · <40 None

Wide moat with strength across all dimensions. Revenue Predictability is the standout factor.

Composite score measuring competitive advantage durability across four dimensions: returns above cost of capital, pricing power stability, revenue predictability, and capital efficiency. Based on 4 years of fundamental data.
UNH
64/100
Narrow Moat
70+ Wide · 40-69 Narrow · <40 None

Narrow moat with revenue predictability as the key competitive advantage. Improving margin stability would strengthen the moat.

Composite score measuring competitive advantage durability across four dimensions: returns above cost of capital, pricing power stability, revenue predictability, and capital efficiency. Based on 4 years of fundamental data.

Forensic Accounting

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GWW
-2.53
Unlikely Manipulator
Above -1.78 = likely manipulator · -2.22 to -1.78 = grey zone

M-Score Trend

Beneish's 8-variable model estimates the probability of earnings manipulation. An M-Score above -1.78 signals elevated risk — companies in this range have historically been 3-5× more likely to be manipulating earnings. Scores between -2.22 and -1.78 fall in a grey zone warranting further investigation.
UNH
-2.45
Unlikely Manipulator
Above -1.78 = likely manipulator · -2.22 to -1.78 = grey zone

M-Score Trend

Beneish's 8-variable model estimates the probability of earnings manipulation. An M-Score above -1.78 signals elevated risk — companies in this range have historically been 3-5× more likely to be manipulating earnings. Scores between -2.22 and -1.78 fall in a grey zone warranting further investigation.

Beneish's 8-variable model estimates the probability of earnings manipulation. An M-Score above -1.78 signals elevated risk — companies in this range have historically been 3-5× more likely to be manipulating earnings. Scores between -2.22 and -1.78 fall in a grey zone warranting further investigation.

Ownership Breakdown

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GWW
Insiders 6.2%Institutions 76.8%Retail & Other 17.0%
No. of Institutional Holders1,676
High insider ownership aligns management incentives with shareholders — a key signal in Buffett-style analysis. Institutional concentration can indicate smart-money conviction but also crowding risk.
UNH
Insiders 0.8%Institutions 84.2%Retail & Other 14.9%
No. of Institutional Holders4,244
High insider ownership aligns management incentives with shareholders — a key signal in Buffett-style analysis. Institutional concentration can indicate smart-money conviction but also crowding risk.

High insider ownership aligns management incentives with shareholders. Institutional concentration can indicate smart-money conviction but also crowding risk.

Insider Buying Activity

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GWW
0
Buys (3M)
0
Buys (12M)
No open market insider purchases found.
Open market purchases · includes direct & indirect ownership · excludes option exercises
UNH
0
Buys (3M)
5
Buys (12M)
Total value (12M): $31.61M
REX JOHN F
President
$5.00M
@ $291.12 · 2025-05-16
HEMSLEY STEPHEN J
Chief Executive Officer
$25.02M
@ $288.57 · 2025-05-16
GIL KRISTEN
Director
$1.00M
@ $271.17 · 2025-05-15
FLYNN TIMOTHY PATRICK
Director
$491,786
@ $320.80 · 2025-05-14
NOSEWORTHY JOHN H
Director
$93,647
@ $312.16 · 2025-05-14
FLYNN TIMOTHY PATRICK
Director
$511,575
@ $511.57 · 2025-01-17
Open market purchases · includes direct & indirect ownership · excludes option exercises

Open market purchases · includes direct & indirect ownership · excludes option exercises.

Insider Selling Activity

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GWW
0
Sells (3M)
6
Sells (12M)
Total value (12M): $28.91M
BERARDINELLI KRANTZ NANCY L
Officer
$199,666
@ $1023.93 · 2025-12-16
MACPHERSON DONALD G
Chief Executive Officer
$25.96M
@ $972.70 · 2025-12-05
LEROY JONATHAN MICHAEL
Chief Technology Officer
$496,430
@ $992.86 · 2025-09-09
BERARDINELLI KRANTZ NANCY L
Officer
$301,056
@ $1075.20 · 2025-05-23
THOMSON LAURIE R.
Officer
$793,615
@ $1042.86 · 2025-05-06
MERRIWETHER DEIDRA C
Chief Financial Officer
$1.16M
@ $997.12 · 2025-04-02
THOMSON LAURIE R.
Officer
$340,774
@ $1020.28 · 2025-03-10
THOMSON LAURIE R.
Officer
$340,775
@ $1020.28 · 2025-03-10
BERARDINELLI KRANTZ NANCY L
Officer
$301,707
@ $1192.52 · 2024-11-06
ROBBINS PAIGE K
Officer
$10.71M
@ $1117.84 · 2024-11-05
MERRIWETHER DEIDRA C
Chief Financial Officer
$778,337
@ $1105.59 · 2024-11-01
MACPHERSON DONALD G
Chief Executive Officer
$13.48M
@ $1037.68 · 2024-09-30
MACPHERSON DONALD G
Chief Executive Officer
$27.52M
@ $1000.82 · 2024-09-16
FORTIN MATT
Officer
$467,667
@ $915.20 · 2024-06-20
Direct ownership only · excludes indirect, option exercises, planned (10b5-1) sales & derivatives
UNH
0
Sells (3M)
1
Sells (12M)
Total value (12M): $179,645
CONWAY PATRICK HUGH M.D.
Chief Executive Officer
$179,645
@ $305.00 · 2025-06-10
MCSWEENEY ERIN L
Officer
$438,987
@ $626.23 · 2024-11-11
Direct ownership only · excludes indirect, option exercises, planned (10b5-1) sales & derivatives

Direct ownership only · excludes indirect, option exercises, planned (10b5-1) sales & derivatives.

🎭 Mr. Market's Mood

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GWW
FearGreed
😐Neutral(43/100)

"Market is pricing this stock without strong emotion in either direction"

Composite sentiment score based on 6 market signals. Inspired by Buffett's "Mr. Market" allegory — fear = potential opportunity, greed = potential risk. Must be used alongside fundamental analysis, not in isolation.
UNH
FearGreed
😨Fear(37/100)

"Market is pessimistic — investigate whether fears are temporary or structural"

Composite sentiment score based on 6 market signals. Inspired by Buffett's "Mr. Market" allegory — fear = potential opportunity, greed = potential risk. Must be used alongside fundamental analysis, not in isolation.

Composite sentiment score based on market signals. Inspired by Buffett’s "Mr. Market" allegory — fear = potential opportunity, greed = potential risk. Must be used alongside fundamental analysis, not in isolation.

⚖️ Buffett Signal

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GWW
Awaiting DCF Data

The Buffett Signal cross-references market sentiment with DCF valuation. Configure the DCF Analysis above to generate a signal.

DCF Margin of Safety: N/AMr. Market's Mood: Neutral (43)
UNH
Awaiting DCF Data

The Buffett Signal cross-references market sentiment with DCF valuation. Configure the DCF Analysis above to generate a signal.

DCF Margin of Safety: N/AMr. Market's Mood: Fear (37)
View GWW Full AnalysisView UNH Full Analysis
W.W. Grainger, Inc. (GWW) vs UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (UNH) Stock Comparison | SafetyMargin.io