COMPARE · Reviewed August 3, 2026
CI vs UNH
Verdict: Side-by-side breakdown using the Bull Rankings model. CI scored 76.7, UNH scored 61.8 — CI leads.
Compare another set
Different reporting periods. CI's fundamentals are as of June 2026, but UNH's are as of March 2026 — a 3-month gap. Growth, margin and valuation figures below therefore describe different windows and aren't strictly like-for-like.
CI
The Cigna Group
76.7
$273.83 · $72.4B
fundamentals as of
Score gap
14.9
CI leads
UNH
UnitedHealth Group Incorporated
61.8
$410.32 · $372.6B
fundamentals as of
The model, pillar by pillar (0–100 each)
CI
stronger →← stronger
UNH
60
Qualityreturns · margins · balance sheet
59
85
Growthrevenue & earnings expansion
87
88
Valuevaluation vs sector peers
46
CI is stronger on 2 of 3 pillars.
Fundamentals, head-to-head
CI
UNH
$9.1bB+
FCF
$19.7bA-
+11.3%B
Rev
+11.8%B
0.74C+
D/E
0.69C+
11.3xA
P/E
30.9xB
0.83B+
PEG
1.28B
Winner per row is the stronger grade in our model; a tie or a missing value shows no highlight.
Valuation · DCF cross-check
CI
UNH
54% below
Price vs fair valuelower is cheaper
27% below
~-12%/yr
Growth the price implies10-yr FCF · lower = less priced in
~1%/yr
+98%
1-yr DCF upside
+20%
+116%
5-yr DCF upside
+37%
+146%
10-yr DCF upside
+68%
The DCF is a cross-check on intrinsic value, separate from the quality-growth score above.
Model signals
CI
Why this score
- Raising its dividend
UNH
Why this score
- Raising its dividend
The companies
CIThe Cigna Group
Why now
Healthcare Plans · market cap $72.4b. 13% off the 52-week high of $315.47. Revenue growing +11%, comfortably above the S&P median. PEG 0.83 — paying under fair value for the growth rate. 24 sell-side analysts rate this a Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $343.38 (implying +25% upside).
Moat
ROE 17% sits above Buffett's preferred 15% threshold — the equity base is compounding at a rate the market struggles to discount accurately. FCF converts 142% of net income — earnings translate cleanly into cash, a sign that working capital and capex are well-disciplined. $72.4b market cap gives the company enough scale to absorb fixed costs that subscale competitors can't, without yet being so large that growth has to come from acquisition.
Risk
Net margin 2.3% is thin — operating leverage cuts both ways; input-cost inflation or pricing pressure hits the bottom line first.
UNHUnitedHealth Group Incorporated
Why now
Healthcare Plans · market cap $372.6b. 11% off the 52-week high of $461.62. Revenue growing +12%, comfortably above the S&P median. 26 sell-side analysts rate this a Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $475.23 (implying +16% upside).
Moat
ROE 14% meets the long-run market sustainable threshold — solid but not differentiated; the durability comes from elsewhere. FCF converts 139% of net income — earnings translate cleanly into cash, a sign that working capital and capex are well-disciplined. $372.6b market cap places it among the largest companies in the sector — distribution, R&D, and customer-acquisition costs amortize across a base peers can't replicate.
Risk
Trailing P/E 31x sits well above the S&P median (~20x) — multiple compression is a real risk if revenue growth decelerates. Net margin 3.1% is thin — operating leverage cuts both ways; input-cost inflation or pricing pressure hits the bottom line first.
Verdict — model-derived comparison
Generating verdict… typically 5–10 seconds
Not investment advice. The Bull Rankings publishes a quantitative ranking model and accompanying analysis for general informational purposes only. Nothing on this page is a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security; nothing is personalized to your circumstances, risk tolerance, or tax situation. Investing carries the risk of loss — invest at your own risk and consider consulting a licensed financial professional before acting on anything you read here. See terms and methodology for full disclosures.