TD Cowen Reaffirms Hold Rating for UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH)

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH)‘s stock had its “hold” rating reaffirmed by research analysts at TD Cowen in a research note issued to investors on Thursday, Benzinga reports. They currently have a $402.00 price objective on the healthcare conglomerate’s stock. TD Cowen’s price objective suggests a potential downside of 1.34% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $463.00 to $478.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, July 17th. BMO Capital Markets set a $512.00 price target on UnitedHealth Group in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. Barclays dropped their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $441.00 to $440.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Oppenheimer upped their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $420.00 to $500.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, July 17th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $401.00 to $490.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 17th. Twenty research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $461.48.

UnitedHealth Group Trading Up 3.0%

Shares of UnitedHealth Group stock traded up $11.83 on Thursday, hitting $407.45. The stock had a trading volume of 10,155,385 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,394,466. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $387.10 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $383.47. UnitedHealth Group has a one year low of $255.96 and a one year high of $461.62. The stock has a market cap of $365.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.27, a PEG ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 0.60. The company has a quick ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 13th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $4.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.14 by $0.55. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 17.95% and a net margin of 3.53%. 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 EPS. UnitedHealth Group’s quarterly revenue was down .4% compared to the same quarter last year. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 20.500- EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that UnitedHealth Group will post 20.00 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at UnitedHealth Group

In other UnitedHealth Group news, CEO Patrick Conway sold 1,169 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $390.00, for a total value of $455,910.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 15,328 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,977,920. This represents a 7.09% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.19% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of UnitedHealth Group

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Synergy Financial Group LTD lifted its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 3.1% during the 2nd quarter. Synergy Financial Group LTD now owns 887 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $369,000 after buying an additional 27 shares in the last quarter. LFG Wealth Partners LLC increased its position in UnitedHealth Group by 3.3% during the second quarter. LFG Wealth Partners LLC now owns 853 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $355,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares during the last quarter. Ares Financial Consulting LLC increased its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 7.2% in the second quarter. Ares Financial Consulting LLC now owns 419 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $174,000 after acquiring an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. Hudock Inc. grew its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 1.0% during the 2nd quarter. Hudock Inc. now owns 2,844 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $1,182,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rockland Trust Co. lifted its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 1.1% in the 2nd quarter. Rockland Trust Co. now owns 2,589 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $1,076,000 after buying an additional 29 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.86% of the company’s stock.

More 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.