Pinnacle West Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH – Free Report) in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 7,338 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock, valued at approximately $3,050,000. UnitedHealth Group makes up approximately 2.1% of Pinnacle West Asset Management Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 15th largest position.
Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Ieq Capital LLC acquired a new position in UnitedHealth Group during the second quarter valued at approximately $74,480,000. Burnham & Co LLC bought a new stake in UnitedHealth Group during the second quarter valued at about $1,311,000. Heron Bay Capital Management acquired a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the 2nd quarter worth about $323,000. Callan Family Office LLC acquired a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the second quarter worth approximately $24,825,000. Finally, Gambit Capital Management LLC bought a new position in UnitedHealth Group during the second quarter worth $246,000. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
Several brokerages have recently weighed in on UNH. Piper Sandler set a $477.00 price objective on UnitedHealth Group in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Zacks Research raised shares of UnitedHealth Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of UnitedHealth Group from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. KeyCorp boosted their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $400.00 to $475.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $468.00 to $529.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have assigned a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $455.92.
Insider Transactions at UnitedHealth Group
In related news, CEO Patrick Hugh Conway sold 500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $410.00, for a total value of $205,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 16,497 shares in the company, valued at $6,763,770. This trade represents a 2.94% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 0.19% of the company’s stock.
UnitedHealth Group Stock Up 0.2%
NYSE:UNH opened at $390.94 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $350.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.16, a P/E/G ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 0.62. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 52-week low of $255.96 and a 52-week high of $461.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a current ratio of 0.78. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $413.99 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $356.45.
UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 16th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.94 by $1.44. The business had revenue of $112.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $110.81 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 16.53% and a net margin of 3.14%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $4.08 earnings per share. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 19.500-20.000 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 19.81 EPS for the current year.
UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend
The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 22nd. Investors of record on Monday, September 14th will be issued a $2.32 dividend. This represents a $9.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 14th. UnitedHealth Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 59.72%.
More UnitedHealth Group News
Here are the key news stories impacting UnitedHealth Group this week:
- Positive Sentiment: UnitedHealth is reportedly prioritizing Medicare Advantage profitability over rapid membership growth by tightening benefits, improving pricing and controlling costs. The strategy could support stronger margins and more sustainable earnings, even if enrollment growth moderates. Is UnitedHealth Finding a Better Path to Medicare Advantage Growth?
- Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research added UNH to its Rank #1, or “Strong Buy,” lists for overall stocks, value stocks and income stocks. The repeated favorable rankings may reinforce investor confidence in the shares. New Strong Buy Stocks for August 21st
- Positive Sentiment: Analysts raised several forward EPS estimates, including Q1 2028 to $7.36 from $6.78 and Q2 2028 to $7.19 from $5.84. A separate report also noted an increase in the Q1 EPS estimate, while Zacks maintained a Strong Buy rating. Q1 EPS Estimate for UnitedHealth Group Increased by Analyst
- Neutral Sentiment: Forecast revisions were mixed: Q3 2027 EPS was reduced to $4.74 from $4.81 and Q4 2027 to $4.07 from $4.12, partially offsetting the increases for 2028.
- Negative Sentiment: Aon expects U.S. employer health-care costs to rise 9.5% in 2027. Persistent medical-cost inflation could pressure insurers’ margins and increase pricing, benefit and utilization-management challenges for UnitedHealth. AON Sees No Relief From Health-Cost Inflation
UnitedHealth Group Company Profile
UnitedHealth Group Inc is a diversified health care company headquartered in Minnetonka, Minnesota, that operates two primary business platforms: UnitedHealthcare and Optum. Founded in 1977, the company provides a broad range of health benefits and health care services to individuals, employers, governmental entities and other organizations. Its operations span commercial employer-sponsored plans, individual and Medicare and Medicaid programs, and services for customers and health systems in the United States and selected international markets.
UnitedHealthcare is the company’s benefits business, administering health plans and networks, managing provider relationships, and offering coverage products for employers, individuals, and government-sponsored programs.
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