Compare StocksSYK vs UNH

Stryker Corporation (SYK) vs UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (UNH)

SYK
Stryker Corporation
$294.73
VS
UNH
UnitedHealth Group Incorporated
$368.78

Rewards

SYK
  • Gross margin of 64.7% indicates strong pricing power — typical of businesses with significant intellectual property or brand strength.
  • Stryker Corporation 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 28.1% CAGR over the past 4 years, demonstrating strong earnings power growth.
UNH
  • Dividend yield of 2.40% with a consistent or growing payout over the past 4 years.

Risks

SYK
  • PEG ratio of 2.47 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 18.8% is low, suggesting a competitive or commodity-like market with limited pricing power.
  • FCF yield of 5.3% suggests reasonable valuation assuming continued moderate growth.

Key Valuation Metrics

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SYK
UNH
Valuation
$4.89B
Free Cash Flow
$17.69B
4.33%
FCF Yield
5.28%
35.09
Trailing P/E
27.85
17.62
Forward P/E
17.77
Quality & Moat
9.56%
ROIC
15.60%
14.13%
ROE
11.45%
64.70%
Gross Margin
18.80%
2.47
PEG Ratio
39.79
Balance Sheet Safety
0.62
Debt / Equity
0.74
N/A
Interest Coverage
N/A
1.63
Net Debt / EBITDA
2.18
1.19%
Dividend Yield
2.40%
SYK: 5Ties: 2UNH: 5
SYKUNH

Historical Fundamentals

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SYK

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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SYK
$7.26
created per $1 retained over 3 years
Exceptional Value Creator
Σ Retained
$5.76B
Δ Market Cap
+$41.85B
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

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SYK
48.0% Overvalued
Price is 48.0% above estimated fair value
Current Price: $294.73
Fair Value: $199.12
Strongly undervalued
Undervalued
Fairly valued
Overvalued
Strongly overvalued
UNH
9.6% Overvalued
Price is 9.6% above estimated fair value
Current Price: $368.78
Fair Value: $336.33
Strongly undervalued
Undervalued
Fairly valued
Overvalued
Strongly overvalued

Reverse DCF — Market-Implied Growth

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SYK

What growth rate is the market pricing in at $295?

+16.5%
Market-Implied Owner Earnings Growth
Standard FCF implies +11.0%

The market implies +16.5% Owner Earnings growth, above historical trends.

Standard FCF implies a demanding +11.0%, reflecting heavy growth investment.

UNH

What growth rate is the market pricing in at $369?

+13.9%
Market-Implied Owner Earnings Growth
Standard FCF implies +8.7%

The market implies +13.9% Owner Earnings growth, above historical trends.

Standard FCF implies a demanding +8.7%, reflecting heavy growth investment.

Economic Moat Score

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

Wide moat driven primarily by revenue predictability. ROIC Consistency 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 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

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SYK
-2.63
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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SYK
Insiders 5.4%Institutions 82.2%Retail & Other 12.4%
No. of Institutional Holders3,050
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 84.7%Retail & Other 14.5%
No. of Institutional Holders4,077
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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SYK
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
HEMSLEY STEPHEN J
Chief Executive Officer
$25.02M
@ $288.57 · 2025-05-16
REX JOHN F
President
$5.00M
@ $291.12 · 2025-05-16
GIL KRISTEN
Director
$1.00M
@ $271.17 · 2025-05-15
NOSEWORTHY JOHN H
Director
$93,647
@ $312.16 · 2025-05-14
FLYNN TIMOTHY PATRICK
Director
$491,786
@ $320.80 · 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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SYK
0
Sells (3M)
6
Sells (12M)
Total value (12M): $2.33M
PIERCE JAMES ANDREW
Officer
$175,215
@ $368.87 · 2026-02-02
WELLS PRESTON WENDELL
Chief Financial Officer
$60,370
@ $365.88 · 2025-11-20
BERRY WILLIAM E JR
Officer
$713,802
@ $365.49 · 2025-11-14
MENON VIJU S
Officer
$195,305
@ $390.61 · 2025-08-25
FLETCHER ROBERT S
Officer
$701,630
@ $393.07 · 2025-08-20
BERRY WILLIAM E JR
Officer
$482,202
@ $388.56 · 2025-05-12
GOLSTON ALLAN C
Director
$941,586
@ $383.07 · 2025-02-18
STILES SPENCER S
Officer
$201,056
@ $391.16 · 2024-11-15
LOBO KEVIN A
Chief Executive Officer
$21.13M
@ $368.70 · 2024-11-07
FINK MARY KATHRYN
Officer
$3.48M
@ $367.65 · 2024-09-17
MENON VIJU S
Officer
$213,000
@ $355.00 · 2024-08-27
BOEHNLEIN GLENN S
Chief Financial Officer
$6.66M
@ $333.00 · 2024-08-02
FLETCHER ROBERT S
Officer
$668,308
@ $332.99 · 2024-05-22
BOEHNLEIN GLENN S
Chief Financial Officer
$3.28M
@ $327.65 · 2024-05-15
Direct ownership only · excludes indirect, option exercises, planned (10b5-1) sales & derivatives
UNH
1
Sells (3M)
2
Sells (12M)
Total value (12M): $463,645
CONWAY PATRICK HUGH M.D.
Officer
$284,000
@ $355.00 · 2026-04-23
CONWAY PATRICK HUGH M.D.
Chief Executive Officer
$179,645
@ $305.00 · 2025-06-10
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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SYK
FearGreed
😨Fear(32/100)

"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
😏Greed(65/100)

"Market is optimistic — be cautious and ensure you have a margin of safety"

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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SYK
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 (32)
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: Greed (65)
View SYK Full AnalysisView UNH Full Analysis
SYK vs UNH: Which Is the Better Buy? | SafetyMargin.io