UnitedHealth Group’s (UNH) Hold Rating Reaffirmed at TD Cowen

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH)‘s stock had its “hold” rating reiterated by stock analysts at TD Cowen in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday, Benzinga reports. They presently have a $402.00 price target on the healthcare conglomerate’s stock. TD Cowen’s target price would suggest a potential downside of 1.34% from the stock’s previous close.

UNH has been the subject of several other research reports. 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. Raymond James Financial reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $450.00 target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Thursday. DA Davidson set a $512.00 target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $453.00 to $427.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of UnitedHealth Group from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Thursday, October 8th. Twenty research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $461.48.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Up 3.0%

Shares of NYSE:UNH traded up $11.83 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $407.45. The company had a trading volume of 10,131,617 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,383,857. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 0.74 and a quick ratio of 0.78. UnitedHealth Group has a one year low of $255.96 and a one year high of $461.62. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $387.10 and its 200-day moving average price is $383.47. The stock has a market capitalization of $365.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.27, a PEG ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 0.60.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, October 13th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $4.69 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.14 by $0.55. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 3.53% and a return on equity of 17.95%. The firm had revenue of $112.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $111.31 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.59 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down .4% compared to the same quarter last year. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 20.500- EPS. Equities research analysts expect that UnitedHealth Group will post 20.00 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other UnitedHealth Group news, CEO Patrick Conway sold 1,169 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $390.00, for a total transaction of $455,910.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 15,328 shares in the company, valued at $5,977,920. This trade represents a 7.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.19% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wellington Altus USA Inc. raised its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 97.1% during the 2nd quarter. Wellington Altus USA Inc. now owns 67 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. Security National Bank of SO Dak acquired a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the 2nd quarter worth about $29,000. Nvwm LLC grew its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 89.2% during the 3rd quarter. Nvwm LLC now owns 70 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 33 shares during the period. Aberdeen Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Nalls Sherbakoff Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. 87.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key UnitedHealth Group News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q3 earnings beat and raised outlook: UnitedHealth reported $112.7 billion in revenue and adjusted earnings of $4.69 per share, exceeding consensus estimates. Management raised its 2026 adjusted earnings outlook to at least $20.50 per share from a prior $19.50-$20.00 range. UnitedHealth Stock Moves Higher: What’s Going On?
• Positive Sentiment: Improving medical-cost trends: The medical care ratio improved to 88.4%, while Optum generated $66.9 billion in revenue and $3.7 billion in earnings. Investors viewed better cost management, pricing discipline and benefit changes as evidence that margins may recover across the business. UnitedHealth Group gains after Q3 beat and higher 2026 outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Potential Medicare and 2027 growth drivers: UnitedHealth’s emphasis on special-needs plans, expanded Medicare coverage, AI initiatives and expected Medicaid margin improvement after 2026 could support targeted growth. Goldman Sachs raised its price target to $506, while Piper Sandler maintained an overweight rating and a $504 target. Goldman Sachs raises UNH target price to $506 following Q3 earnings beat
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst views are mixed: Some firms see substantial upside after the earnings beat, but TD Cowen reaffirmed a hold rating with a $402 target, below the recently traded level. Seeking Alpha commentary also cautioned that much of the improved outlook may already be reflected in the stock.
• Negative Sentiment: Growth and cost concerns remain: Revenue was roughly flat year over year, membership has declined, and commercial medical costs and Medicaid pressures continue to weigh on margins. These issues caused some investors to question whether the earnings improvement can translate into durable growth. UnitedHealth Beats on Earnings, But Investors Question Growth Path

UnitedHealth Group Company Profile

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE: UNH) is a diversified health care and well-being company serving individuals, employers, health care providers and government programs. Its operations are organized primarily through UnitedHealthcare and Optum.

UnitedHealthcare provides health benefit plans and services, including employer-sponsored coverage, individual and family plans, Medicare and Medicaid offerings, and other government-supported programs. Its services include health insurance administration, pharmacy benefits and care management.

Optum provides health care services, technology and data solutions, pharmacy services, and analytics to health plans, employers, government agencies, health care providers and consumers.