Compare StocksHWM vs UNH

Howmet Aerospace Inc. (HWM) vs UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (UNH)

HWM
Howmet Aerospace Inc.
$232.94
VS
UNH
UnitedHealth Group Incorporated
$280.44

Rewards

HWM
  • Howmet Aerospace Inc. scores 83/100 on the Economic Moat Score (Wide Moat), with revenue predictability as the strongest competitive dimension.
  • Free cash flow has grown at a 38.4% CAGR over the past 4 years, demonstrating strong earnings power growth.
  • Each dollar of retained earnings has created $21.57 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

HWM
  • FCF yield of 1.5% is below 3%, meaning the market is pricing in substantial future growth to justify the current price.
  • Trailing P/E of 63.0x is 59% above the historical average of 39.5x — the stock trades at a premium to its own history.
  • PEG ratio of 3.10 indicates the stock is expensive relative to its expected growth — the market may be pricing in more growth than analysts project.
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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HWM
UNH
Valuation
$1.43B
Free Cash Flow
$13.86B
1.53%
FCF Yield
5.45%
62.96
Trailing P/E
21.18
42.31
Forward P/E
14.08
Quality & Moat
20.04%
ROIC
0.64%
28.17%
ROE
11.85%
34.17%
Gross Margin
18.53%
3.10
PEG Ratio
N/A
Balance Sheet Safety
0.60
Debt / Equity
0.82
N/A
Interest Coverage
N/A
1.03
Net Debt / EBITDA
2.54
0.20%
Dividend Yield
3.15%
HWM: 5Ties: 1UNH: 5
HWMUNH

Historical Fundamentals

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HWM

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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HWM
$21.57
created per $1 retained over 3 years
Exceptional Value Creator
Σ Retained
$3.06B
Δ Market Cap
+$66.10B
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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HWM
51.2% Overvalued
Price is 51.2% above estimated fair value
Current Price: $232.94
Fair Value: $154.02
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

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HWM

What growth rate is the market pricing in at $233?

+23.6%
Market-Implied Owner Earnings Growth
Standard FCF implies +24.3%

The market implies +23.6% Owner Earnings growth, below historical trends — potential opportunity.

Standard FCF implies a more demanding +24.3%, reflecting heavy growth investment expected to generate future returns.

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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HWM
83/100
Wide Moat
70+ Wide · 40-69 Narrow · <40 None

Wide moat driven primarily by revenue predictability. Margin Stability is the area most vulnerable to competitive pressure.

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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HWM
-2.54
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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HWM
Insiders 1.2%Institutions 94.4%Retail & Other 4.4%
No. of Institutional Holders1,836
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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HWM
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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HWM
2
Sells (3M)
5
Sells (12M)
Total value (12M): $18.94M
SHULTZ BARBARA LOU
Officer
$260,005
@ $260.00 · 2026-02-26
MARCHUK NEIL EDWARD
Officer
$11.36M
@ $251.70 · 2026-02-18
LIN LOLA FELICE
Officer
$2.37M
@ $180.51 · 2025-08-05
MARCHUK NEIL EDWARD
Officer
$4.76M
@ $158.53 · 2025-05-12
SHULTZ BARBARA LOU
Officer
$193,962
@ $155.17 · 2025-05-05
LIN LOLA FELICE
Officer
$902,886
@ $136.39 · 2025-02-18
MARCHUK NEIL EDWARD
Officer
$6.85M
@ $96.94 · 2024-08-23
GIACOBBE KENNETH J
Chief Financial Officer
$14.96M
@ $96.58 · 2024-08-22
MARCHUK NEIL EDWARD
Officer
$2.75M
@ $84.26 · 2024-06-03
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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HWM
FearGreed
😐Neutral(49/100)

"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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HWM
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 (49)
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 HWM Full AnalysisView UNH Full Analysis
Howmet Aerospace Inc. (HWM) vs UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (UNH) Stock Comparison | SafetyMargin.io