Compare StocksIFF vs UNH

International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (IFF) vs UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (UNH)

IFF
International Flavors & Fragrances Inc.
$68.13
VS
UNH
UnitedHealth Group Incorporated
$280.44

Rewards

IFF
  • Insiders have bought $12.0M worth of stock in the past 3 months — significant skin in the game.
  • FCF yield of 17.7% is historically attractive — the business generates significant cash relative to its price.
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

IFF
  • Altman Z-Score of 1.34 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

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IFF
UNH
Valuation
$3.09B
Free Cash Flow
$13.86B
17.74%
FCF Yield
5.45%
N/A
Trailing P/E
21.18
14.18
Forward P/E
14.08
Quality & Moat
1.91%
ROIC
0.64%
-2.64%
ROE
11.85%
36.16%
Gross Margin
18.53%
N/A
PEG Ratio
N/A
Balance Sheet Safety
0.47
Debt / Equity
0.82
N/A
Interest Coverage
N/A
3.26
Net Debt / EBITDA
2.54
2.35%
Dividend Yield
3.15%
IFF: 4Ties: 2UNH: 4
IFFUNH

Historical Fundamentals

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IFF

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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IFF
N/A
Net losses over 3 years — test not applicable
Company had negative cumulative retained earnings
Σ Retained
$-4.44B
Δ Market Cap
$-9.50B
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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IFF
71.7% Margin of Safety
Price is 71.7% below estimated fair value
Current Price: $68.13
Fair Value: $240.51
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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IFF

What growth rate is the market pricing in at $68?

-5.8%
Market-Implied FCF Growth Rate

Market pricing in significantly higher growth than history — aggressive.

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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IFF
53/100
Narrow Moat
70+ Wide · 40-69 Narrow · <40 None

Narrow moat with revenue predictability as the key competitive advantage. Improving roic consistency 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.
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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IFF
-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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IFF
Insiders 1.8%Institutions 103.5%
No. of Institutional Holders1,029
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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IFF
2
Buys (3M)
10
Buys (12M)
Total value (12M): $17.64M
FYRWALD J. ERIK
Chief Executive Officer
$995,204
@ $69.79 · 2026-03-13
FRIBOURG PAUL J
Director
$10.97M
@ $70.12 · 2026-03-12
LANDSMAN STEPHEN N
General Counsel
$196,788
@ $63.48 · 2025-12-12
FRIBOURG PAUL J
Director
$1.00M
@ $64.80 · 2025-08-07
FYRWALD J. ERIK
Chief Executive Officer
$993,714
@ $64.95 · 2025-08-07
O'BYRNE KEVIN
Director
$342,240
@ $76.05 · 2025-05-22
LANDSMAN STEPHEN N
General Counsel
$927,356
@ $77.28 · 2025-05-19
PALAU HERNANDEZ MARGARITA
Director
$65,807
@ $77.42 · 2025-05-19
KHAN MEHMOOD
Director
$301,314
@ $75.33 · 2025-05-15
FYRWALD J. ERIK
Chief Executive Officer
$1.85M
@ $73.97 · 2025-05-09
O'BYRNE KEVIN
Director
$522,833
@ $80.44 · 2025-03-05
FYRWALD J. ERIK
Chief Executive Officer
$2.01M
@ $80.24 · 2025-03-04
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

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IFF
0
Sells (3M)
1
Sells (12M)
Total value (12M): $185,604
YILDIZ BERIL
Officer
$185,604
@ $77.33 · 2025-05-19
ARORA YUVRAJ
Officer
$458,775
@ $91.75 · 2024-11-11
STRZELECKI ANGELA
Officer
$247,560
@ $95.66 · 2024-06-13
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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IFF
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.
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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IFF
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)
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 IFF Full AnalysisView UNH Full Analysis
International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (IFF) vs UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (UNH) Stock Comparison | SafetyMargin.io