SafetyMargin.ioSafetyMargin.io
BlogWatchlistCompare
Compare Stocks › HBAN vs UNH

Huntington Bancshares Incorporated (HBAN) vs UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (UNH)

HBAN
Huntington Bancshares Incorporated
$15.17
VS
UNH
UnitedHealth Group Incorporated
$280.44

Rewards

HBAN
  • ★Share count has been reduced by 23% over the past 5 years through buybacks, increasing each share's claim on earnings.
  • ★Each dollar of retained earnings has created $2.28 of market value — management is an exceptional capital allocator.
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

HBAN
  • ⚠Gross margin of 0.0% is low, suggesting a competitive or commodity-like market with limited pricing power.
  • ⚠Despite buyback spending, shares outstanding increased in 2 out of 2 years — stock-based compensation is offsetting repurchases.
  • ⚠Altman Z-Score of 0.16 places the company in the distress zone — financial patterns resemble those of companies that experienced bankruptcy.
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

Learn more →
HBAN
UNH
Valuation
N/A
Free Cash Flow
$13.86B
N/A
FCF Yield
5.45%
10.91
Trailing P/E
21.18
7.94
Forward P/E
14.08
Quality & Moat
12.54%
ROIC
0.64%
N/A
ROE
11.85%
0.00%
Gross Margin
18.53%
N/A
PEG Ratio
N/A
Balance Sheet Safety
N/A
Debt / Equity
0.82
N/A
Interest Coverage
N/A
N/A
Net Debt / EBITDA
2.54
4.09%
Dividend Yield
3.15%
HBAN: 4Ties: 1UNH: 1
HBANUNH

Historical Fundamentals

Learn more →
HBAN

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

Learn more →
HBAN
$2.28
created per $1 retained over 3 years
Exceptional Value Creator
Σ Retained
$3.01B
Δ Market Cap
+$6.85B
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

Learn more →
HBAN
60.1% Margin of Safety
Price is 60.1% below estimated fair value
Current Price: $15.17
Fair Value: $38.02
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

Learn more →
HBAN

Requires positive FCF to compute implied growth rate.

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

Learn more →
HBAN
36/100
No Moat
70+ Wide · 40-69 Narrow · <40 None

No durable moat detected, though reinvestment efficiency shows some competitive positioning. The business lacks consistent evidence of sustainable advantages.

Composite score measuring competitive advantage durability across four dimensions: returns above cost of capital, pricing power stability, revenue predictability, and capital efficiency. Based on 5 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

Learn more →
HBAN
-2.40
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

Learn more →
HBAN
Insiders 0.8%Institutions 72.3%Retail & Other 26.9%
No. of Institutional Holders1,438
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

Learn more →
HBAN
2
Buys (3M)
3
Buys (12M)
Total value (12M): $852,415
STEINOUR STEPHEN D
Chief Executive Officer
$499,971
@ $15.49 · 2026-03-12
TORGOW GARY
Director
$252,902
@ $17.81 · 2026-02-19
INGLIS JOHN C
Director
$99,542
@ $15.30 · 2025-11-04
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

Learn more →
HBAN
5
Sells (3M)
12
Sells (12M)
Total value (12M): $4.76M
NATERI PRASHANT
Chief Operating Officer
$157,648
@ $15.50 · 2026-03-12
KLEINMAN SCOTT D
Officer
$1.00M
@ $15.28 · 2026-03-12
LAWLOR BRENDAN A
Officer
$330,426
@ $18.93 · 2026-02-10
STANDRIDGE BRANTLEY J
Officer
$111,557
@ $19.13 · 2026-02-04
DHINGRA AMIT
Officer
$185,000
@ $18.50 · 2026-01-08
KOWALSKI KENDALL A
Chief Technology Officer
$71,920
@ $17.86 · 2025-12-12
HINGST MARCY C
General Counsel
$230,976
@ $18.00 · 2025-12-11
HOUSTON HELGA S
Officer
$993,348
@ $15.38 · 2025-11-21
HINGST MARCY C
General Counsel
$100,410
@ $15.65 · 2025-11-14
HINGST MARCY C
General Counsel
$739,800
@ $18.00 · 2025-09-05
HINGST MARCY C
General Counsel
$216,323
@ $15.79 · 2025-06-13
HOUSTON HELGA S
Officer
$623,402
@ $14.72 · 2025-05-01
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

Learn more →
HBAN
FearGreed
😨Fear(39/100)

"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.
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

Learn more →
HBAN
⚪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 (39)
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 HBAN Full AnalysisView UNH Full Analysis