UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH Position Trimmed by Stephens Inc. AR

Stephens Inc. AR lowered its stake in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 3.5% during the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 39,963 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after selling 1,455 shares during the period. Stephens Inc. AR’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $10,867,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Hardy Reed LLC boosted its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 3.8% in the 1st quarter. Hardy Reed LLC now owns 2,654 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $718,000 after purchasing an additional 98 shares during the period. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 5.8% in the 1st quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 806 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $218,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the period. St. Johns Investment Management Company LLC raised its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 8.1% during the 1st quarter. St. Johns Investment Management Company LLC now owns 3,201 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $866,000 after purchasing an additional 241 shares during the period. Revisor Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 7.0% in the first quarter. Revisor Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,671 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $994,000 after purchasing an additional 240 shares in the last quarter. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC raised its position in UnitedHealth Group by 12.1% during the first quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 3,346 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $905,000 after buying an additional 361 shares during the period. 87.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Patrick Hugh Conway sold 800 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $355.00, for a total transaction of $284,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 17,805 shares in the company, valued at $6,320,775. This represents a 4.30% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UNH has been the topic of a number of research reports. HSBC upped their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $300.00 to $380.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Monday. Oppenheimer increased their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $385.00 to $405.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Raymond James Financial upgraded UnitedHealth Group from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $330.00 price objective for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. Leerink Partners upped their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $400.00 to $462.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 17th. Finally, TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Monday, June 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have issued a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, UnitedHealth Group currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $414.75.

Trending Headlines about UnitedHealth Group

Here are the key news stories impacting UnitedHealth Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: UnitedHealth is shifting its strategy toward profitability over rapid growth, with improving margins, stronger earnings, and Optum expansion seen as supporting a longer-term turnaround. UnitedHealth Bets on Profitability Over Growth: Will It Pay Off?
• Positive Sentiment: HSBC raised its price target on UNH to $380 and maintained a “hold” rating, reflecting continued analyst attention and a more favorable valuation view than before. HSBC raises UnitedHealth price target
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple recent analyst targets remain well above prior levels, including targets in the mid-$400s, which supports the view that Wall Street still sees recovery potential in the stock.
• Positive Sentiment: UnitedHealth became the first major commercial insurer to cover Guardant Health’s Shield blood test for colorectal cancer screening in eligible adults 45 and older, a move that could strengthen its role in emerging preventative care and improve access to innovative screening tools. UnitedHealth Group Opens Shield Blood Test Coverage
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary continues to frame UNH as a long-term momentum name and a defensive healthcare holding, suggesting investors still view it as a quality large-cap stock with stable fundamentals.
• Negative Sentiment: The stock declined in the latest trading session even as the broader market improved, indicating some near-term profit-taking or investor caution despite the favorable long-term setup. UnitedHealth Group Stock Declines While Market Improves

UnitedHealth Group Stock Performance

Shares of UnitedHealth Group stock traded up $6.79 on Tuesday, reaching $424.78. The stock had a trading volume of 1,074,155 shares, compared to its average volume of 8,580,269. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $234.60 and a fifty-two week high of $430.20. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $392.87 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $335.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 0.80. The stock has a market cap of $385.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 0.62.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The healthcare conglomerate reported $7.23 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.76 by $0.47. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 2.68% and a return on equity of 14.65%. The firm had revenue of $111.65 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $109.84 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $7.20 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 18.250- EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 18.32 EPS for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 23rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th were issued a $2.32 dividend. This is an increase from UnitedHealth Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.21. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 15th. This represents a $9.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.2%. UnitedHealth Group’s payout ratio is 70.09%.

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.