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Compare Stocks › NTRS vs UNH

Northern Trust Corporation (NTRS) vs UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (UNH)

NTRS
Northern Trust Corporation
$135.78
VS
UNH
UnitedHealth Group Incorporated
$280.44

Rewards

NTRS
  • ★Free cash flow has grown at a 41.8% CAGR over the past 4 years, demonstrating strong earnings power growth.
  • ★Share count has been reduced by 11% over the past 4 years through buybacks, increasing each share's claim on earnings.
  • ★Each dollar of retained earnings has created $2.39 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

NTRS
  • ⚠Gross margin of 0.0% is low, suggesting a competitive or commodity-like market with limited pricing power.
  • ⚠Northern Trust Corporation scores only 22/100 on the Economic Moat Score, suggesting limited durable competitive advantages.
  • ⚠PEG ratio of 2.04 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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NTRS
UNH
Valuation
N/A
Free Cash Flow
$13.86B
N/A
FCF Yield
5.45%
15.54
Trailing P/E
21.18
12.19
Forward P/E
14.08
Quality & Moat
10.14%
ROIC
0.64%
N/A
ROE
11.85%
0.00%
Gross Margin
18.53%
2.04
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
2.32%
Dividend Yield
3.15%
NTRS: 3Ties: 1UNH: 2
NTRSUNH

Historical Fundamentals

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NTRS

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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NTRS
$2.39
created per $1 retained over 3 years
Exceptional Value Creator
Σ Retained
$2.93B
Δ Market Cap
+$7.01B
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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NTRS
28.6% Margin of Safety
Price is 28.6% below estimated fair value
Current Price: $135.78
Fair Value: $190.07
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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NTRS

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

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NTRS
22/100
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 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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NTRS
-2.60
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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NTRS
Insiders 0.9%Institutions 86.0%Retail & Other 13.1%
No. of Institutional Holders1,238
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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NTRS
2
Buys (3M)
6
Buys (12M)
Total value (12M): $763,181
PETRINO RICHARD
Director
$148,910
@ $148.91 · 2026-02-05
MORITZ ROBERT EDWARD JR.
Director
$37,203
@ $151.85 · 2026-02-02
MORITZ ROBERT EDWARD JR.
Director
$500,266
@ $128.57 · 2025-11-04
MORITZ ROBERT EDWARD JR.
Director
$34,198
@ $126.66 · 2025-10-27
MORITZ ROBERT EDWARD JR.
Director
$32,343
@ $126.34 · 2025-08-13
MORITZ ROBERT EDWARD JR.
Director
$10,261
@ $91.62 · 2025-04-24
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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NTRS
3
Sells (3M)
12
Sells (12M)
Total value (12M): $7.74M
FOX DAVID W JR
Chief Financial Officer
$468,362
@ $143.89 · 2026-03-04
FOX DAVID W JR
Chief Financial Officer
$208,872
@ $144.05 · 2026-02-25
BELLOWS CLIVE
Officer
$166,758
@ $145.26 · 2026-02-12
SOUTH THOMAS A
Officer
$695,150
@ $139.03 · 2025-12-11
LANDERS JOHN P.
Officer
$95,252
@ $124.35 · 2025-11-17
LEVY SUSAN COHEN
General Counsel
$3.54M
@ $128.13 · 2025-11-04
PARKER TERESA A
Officer
$997,458
@ $131.21 · 2025-07-31
HALLINAN AENGUS
Officer
$528.00
@ $105.60 · 2025-05-22
CONWAY KELLEY
Officer
$52,640
@ $105.28 · 2025-05-12
FOX DAVID W JR
Chief Financial Officer
$535,772
@ $105.55 · 2025-05-12
PARKER TERESA A
Officer
$650,710
@ $100.62 · 2025-05-09
BELLOWS CLIVE
Officer
$329,835
@ $99.95 · 2025-05-08
SOUTH THOMAS A
Officer
$429,852
@ $113.00 · 2025-02-19
LANDERS JOHN P.
Officer
$100,296
@ $111.44 · 2025-02-04
KARPINSKI JANE B.
Officer
$251,828
@ $111.33 · 2025-02-03
TYLER JASON J
Officer
$252,043
@ $112.67 · 2025-01-30
CHERECWICH PETER B
Chief Operating Officer
$2.94M
@ $112.36 · 2025-01-29
SOUTH THOMAS A
Officer
$529,000
@ $105.80 · 2024-11-07
PARKER TERESA A
Officer
$447,718
@ $100.86 · 2024-10-25
KARPINSKI JANE B.
Officer
$437,964
@ $100.96 · 2024-10-25
LEVY SUSAN COHEN
General Counsel
$2.00M
@ $102.26 · 2024-10-25
FRADKIN STEVEN L
Officer
$2.80M
@ $100.50 · 2024-10-25
GOSSETT MARK C
Officer
$533,400
@ $88.90 · 2024-08-27
PARKER TERESA A
Officer
$494,525
@ $84.06 · 2024-08-09
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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NTRS
FearGreed
😐Neutral(53/100)

"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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NTRS
⚪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 (53)
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 NTRS Full AnalysisView UNH Full Analysis