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JNJ vs UNH

Johnson & Johnson vs UnitedHealth stock: which is the better buy?

Tickerday reads Johnson & Johnson as a Hold at 59 and UnitedHealth as a Hold at 54. Today, Johnson & Johnson is the stronger call.

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JNJ

Johnson & Johnson

Hold59/100

Partly cloudy, with 60% confidence

A year from now: $265 (+3.9%)

Read on Oct 21, 2026Full forecast
Stronger call

UNH

UnitedHealth

Hold54/100

Partly cloudy, with 55% confidence

A year from now: $435 (+5.7%)

Read on Oct 15, 2026Full forecast

Under the hood

Factor by factor

The six things Tickerday weighs, each scored 0 to 100. The higher of each pair is in its call's color.

Overall score

JNJ
59
UNH
54

Valuation

JNJ
25
UNH
40

Growth

JNJ
65
UNH
35

Profitability

JNJ
85
UNH
55

Momentum

JNJ
45
UNH
85

Financial Health

JNJ
80
UNH
70

Sentiment

JNJ
45
UNH
50

Where they're headed

Price targets

Each target is measured from the price on the day its stock was read.

Price when read

JNJ$254.97 · Oct 21, 2026

UNH$411.43 · Oct 15, 2026

Next week

JNJ$254 (−0.4%)

UNH$413 (+0.4%)

Next month

JNJ$258 (+1.2%)

UNH$420 (+2.1%)

Next year

JNJ$265 (+3.9%)

UNH$435 (+5.7%)

The numbers

Key numbers

Market Cap

JNJ$625.0B

UNH$362.5B

P / E Ratio

JNJ38.9

UNH22.1

Rev. Growth

JNJ+7.8%

UNH+3.3%

Net Margin

JNJ+16.2%

UNH+3.5%

Debt / Equity

JNJ0.58

UNH0.71

Dividend Yield

JNJ2.0%

UNH2.3%

Beta

JNJ0.20

UNH0.54

52-Wk Range

JNJ$185 – $281

UNH$256 – $462

The argument

The case for and against

Every call has a case against it. Here are both sides, for each stock.

Johnson & Johnson JNJ

The case for

  • Highly profitable business with strong gross margins (67.7%) and net margins (16.2%).
  • Solid financial footing, with a low debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58.

The case against

  • Stock appears expensive with a Price-to-Earnings (P/E) ratio of 38.9.
  • Recent stock price momentum has faded after a strong year-long run.

UnitedHealth UNH

The case for

  • A market leader with a defensive business model, reflected in its low volatility (beta of 0.54).
  • Solid financial position with a manageable debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71.

The case against

  • Growth has slowed, with recent annual revenue growth at a modest 3.3%.
  • The stock's P/E ratio of 22.1 suggests it is fully valued, potentially limiting future gains.

Tickerday's reads are educational analysis, the same for everyone, not financial advice. Johnson & Johnson was read on Oct 21, 2026 and UnitedHealth on Oct 15, 2026; each one's page has the full forecast.

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The receipts

Called it. Then it happened.

Real calls from the Tickerday engine, each one graded against the real price a month later.

Palantir Technologies Inc

+52.3%

✓Called it

We said Buy at $122.33 on Jul 30. A month later the price was $186.29.

Graded Aug 28 at the closing price

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