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UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (UNH) vs Workday, Inc. (WDAY): Which Is the Better Buy in 2026?

As of 2026-08-03, UNH is overvalued at $414, with a DCF intrinsic value of $371 and a margin of safety of -12%. WDAY is overvalued at $160, with an intrinsic value of $136 and a margin of safety of -18%. Of the two, UNH has the wider margin of safety.

UNH
UnitedHealth Group Incorporated
$414.40
VS
WDAY
Workday, Inc.
$160.34

Rewards

UNH
  • ★UnitedHealth Group Incorporated scores 73/100 on the Economic Moat Score (Wide Moat), with revenue predictability as the strongest competitive dimension.
WDAY
  • ★Gross margin of 75.8% indicates strong pricing power — typical of businesses with significant intellectual property or brand strength.
  • ★Free cash flow has grown at a 29.1% CAGR over the past 4 years, demonstrating strong earnings power growth.
  • ★Each dollar of retained earnings has created $5.32 of earning power — management is an exceptional capital allocator.

Risks

UNH
  • ⚠ROIC has declined by 6.9 percentage points over the past 4 years, which may signal competitive erosion.
  • ⚠Gross margin of 19.5% is low, suggesting a competitive or commodity-like market with limited pricing power.
  • ⚠FCF yield of 6.0% suggests reasonable valuation assuming continued moderate growth.
WDAY
  • ⚠FCF yield of 7.9% suggests reasonable valuation assuming continued moderate growth.
  • ⚠9 insider sales totaling $73.9M with no purchases in the past 3 months — insiders are reducing their exposure.

Key Valuation Metrics

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UNH
WDAY
Valuation
$22.76B
Free Cash Flow
$3.12B
6.05%
FCF Yield
7.88%
31.25
Trailing P/E
49.95
18.47
Forward P/E
12.68
Quality & Moat
14.15%
ROIC
9.87%
14.15%
ROE
10.86%
19.51%
Gross Margin
75.77%
1.28
PEG Ratio
0.63
Balance Sheet Safety
0.40
Net Debt / Equity
Net cash
N/A
Interest Coverage
N/A
1.73
Net Debt / EBITDA
-0.36
2.24%
Dividend Yield
0.00%
UNH: 5Ties: 1WDAY: 6
UNHWDAY

Historical Fundamentals

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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. The dashed forward point is the forward P/E — today's price ÷ analyst consensus EPS.

WDAY

Price ÷ Earnings Per Share — how many years of current earnings you're paying for at today's price. Lower P/E may indicate undervaluation. The dashed forward point is the forward P/E — today's price ÷ analyst consensus EPS.

Price ÷ Earnings Per Share — how many years of current earnings you're paying for at today's price. Lower P/E may indicate undervaluation. The dashed forward point is the forward P/E — today's price ÷ analyst consensus EPS.

$1 Retained Earnings Test

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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
WDAY
$-12.04
created per $1 retained over 3 years
Market Cap Declined
Σ Retained
$2.60B
Δ Market Cap
$-31.29B
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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UNH
11.7% Overvalued
Price is 11.7% above estimated fair value
Current Price: $414.40
Fair Value: $370.88
Strongly undervalued
Undervalued
Fairly valued
Overvalued
Strongly overvalued
WDAY
17.8% Overvalued
Price is 17.8% above estimated fair value
Current Price: $160.34
Fair Value: $136.11
Strongly undervalued
Undervalued
Fairly valued
Overvalued
Strongly overvalued

Reverse DCF — Market-Implied Growth

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UNH

What growth rate is the market pricing in at $414?

+14.4%
Market-Implied Owner Earnings Growth
Standard FCF implies +6.6%

The market implies +14.4% Owner Earnings growth, above historical trends.

Standard FCF implies a demanding +6.6%, reflecting heavy growth investment.

WDAY

What growth rate is the market pricing in at $160?

+18.6%
Market-Implied Owner Earnings Growth
Standard FCF implies +1.3%

The market implies +18.6% Owner Earnings growth, above historical trends.

Standard FCF implies a demanding +1.3%, reflecting heavy growth investment.

Economic Moat Score

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UNH
73/100
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.
WDAY
51/100
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 5 years of fundamental data.

Forensic Accounting

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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.
WDAY
-2.79
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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UNH
Insiders 0.2%Institutions 86.1%Retail & Other 13.6%
No. of Institutional Holders4,164
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.
WDAY
Insiders 2.1%Institutions 107.8%
No. of Institutional Holders1,422
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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UNH
0
Buys (3M)
0
Buys (12M)
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
Open market purchases · includes direct & indirect ownership · excludes option exercises
WDAY
0
Buys (3M)
0
Buys (12M)
No open market insider purchases found.
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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UNH
0
Sells (3M)
1
Sells (12M)
Total value (12M): $284,000
CONWAY PATRICK HUGH
Officer
$284,000
@ $355.00 · 2026-04-23
CONWAY PATRICK HUGH
Chief Executive Officer
$179,645
@ $305.00 · 2025-06-10
Direct ownership only · excludes indirect, option exercises, planned (10b5-1) sales & derivatives
WDAY
9
Sells (3M)
34
Sells (12M)
Total value (12M): $233.47M
GARFIELD MARK S.
Officer
$130,530
@ $142.19 · 2026-07-10
ROWE ZANE C
Chief Financial Officer
$862,203
@ $143.70 · 2026-07-07
KAZMAIER GERRIT S
Officer
$391,785
@ $143.62 · 2026-07-07
ENSLIN ROBERT
President
$724,972
@ $134.90 · 2026-07-02
DUFFIELD DAVID A.
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security
$13.12M
@ $122.04 · 2026-06-30
DUFFIELD DAVID A.
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security
$12.28M
@ $114.25 · 2026-06-22
DUFFIELD DAVID A.
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security
$13.44M
@ $124.99 · 2026-06-17
DUFFIELD DAVID A.
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security
$16.08M
@ $149.56 · 2026-06-04
DUFFIELD DAVID A.
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security
$16.84M
@ $156.64 · 2026-06-01
GARFIELD MARK S.
Officer
$179,184
@ $113.05 · 2026-04-10
ROWE ZANE C
Chief Financial Officer
$769,314
@ $128.22 · 2026-04-07
KAZMAIER GERRIT S
Officer
$1.20M
@ $128.39 · 2026-04-07
ENSLIN ROBERT
President
$695,339
@ $129.41 · 2026-04-06
DUFFIELD DAVID A.
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security
$13.80M
@ $128.35 · 2026-03-26
DUFFIELD DAVID A.
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security
$14.25M
@ $132.58 · 2026-03-18
DUFFIELD DAVID A.
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security
$15.28M
@ $142.18 · 2026-03-10
DUFFIELD DAVID A.
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security
$14.45M
@ $134.40 · 2026-03-02
GARFIELD MARK S.
Officer
$199,711
@ $209.56 · 2026-01-08
DUFFIELD DAVID A.
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security
$17.39M
@ $209.75 · 2026-01-08
SAUER RICHARD HARRY
Officer
$237,300
@ $210.00 · 2026-01-06
ROWE ZANE C
Chief Financial Officer
$1.25M
@ $208.75 · 2026-01-06
KAZMAIER GERRIT S
Officer
$784,626
@ $208.73 · 2026-01-06
ENSLIN ROBERT
President
$4.66M
@ $210.17 · 2026-01-05
DUFFIELD DAVID A.
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security
$16.73M
@ $205.29 · 2026-01-02
DUFFIELD DAVID A.
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security
$17.26M
@ $215.04 · 2025-12-23
KAZMAIER GERRIT S
Officer
$1.43M
@ $218.77 · 2025-12-19
MCNAMARA MICHAEL MAX
Director
$1.27M
@ $235.16 · 2025-10-10
GARFIELD MARK S.
Officer
$457,601
@ $238.96 · 2025-10-09
DUFFIELD DAVID A.
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security
$17.74M
@ $236.34 · 2025-10-08
SAUER RICHARD HARRY
Officer
$547,220
@ $235.87 · 2025-10-07
ROWE ZANE C
Chief Financial Officer
$1.40M
@ $232.62 · 2025-10-07
DUFFIELD DAVID A.
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security
$17.09M
@ $235.09 · 2025-10-01
SAUER RICHARD HARRY
Officer
$273,076
@ $235.41 · 2025-09-17
SAUER RICHARD HARRY
Officer
$262,891
@ $226.63 · 2025-09-11
GARFIELD MARK S.
Officer
$105,922
@ $234.86 · 2025-07-10
ROWE ZANE C
Chief Financial Officer
$1.44M
@ $239.59 · 2025-07-08
DUFFIELD DAVID A.
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security
$17.38M
@ $239.61 · 2025-07-08
DUFFIELD DAVID A.
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security
$17.44M
@ $246.84 · 2025-06-02
GARFIELD MARK S.
Officer
$112,595
@ $226.55 · 2025-04-10
DUFFIELD DAVID A.
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security
$17.55M
@ $250.26 · 2025-03-24
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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UNH
FearGreed
😐Neutral(57/100)

"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.
WDAY
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.

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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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: Neutral (57)
WDAY
⚪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)
View UNH Full AnalysisView WDAY Full Analysis

Frequently Asked Questions: UNH vs WDAY

Is UnitedHealth Group Incorporated or Workday, Inc. more undervalued in 2026?▼

Based on our discounted cash flow model, UNH trades at a -11.7% margin of safety (intrinsic value $371 vs. price $414), compared to WDAY's -17.8% margin of safety (intrinsic $136 vs. $160).

Which stock has a wider economic moat, UnitedHealth Group Incorporated or Workday, Inc.?▼

UNH scores 73/100 (Wide moat), while WDAY scores 51/100 (Narrow moat). The moat score measures competitive advantage durability across ROIC consistency, margin stability, revenue predictability, and reinvestment efficiency.

Is UnitedHealth Group Incorporated in financial distress?▼

UNH's Altman Z-Score of 2.9 places it in the Grey zone, signaling elevated bankruptcy risk. WDAY scores 3.2 (Safe zone). The Altman Z-Score is a five-factor model that predicts insolvency within two years; scores below 1.81 indicate significant distress.

Which company has better free cash flow, UnitedHealth Group Incorporated or Workday, Inc.?▼

Workday, Inc. (WDAY) generates a 7.9% free cash flow yield, compared to UnitedHealth Group Incorporated's 6.0%. A higher FCF yield means the business converts more of its market value into cash that can be returned to shareholders or reinvested.

Which stock has higher return on invested capital, UnitedHealth Group Incorporated or Workday, Inc.?▼

UNH earns 14.1% ROIC versus WDAY's 9.9%. A higher ROIC means the company generates more profit per dollar of capital employed, a hallmark of durable competitive advantage in Buffett-style analysis.

UNH vs WDAY: Which Is the Better Buy in 2026? | SafetyMargin.io