Verity & Verity LLC Makes New $1.07 Million Investment in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH

Verity & Verity LLC purchased a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund purchased 3,226 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock, valued at approximately $1,065,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 91,600,260 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $30,238,162,000 after purchasing an additional 995,210 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors boosted its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 18.8% during the 3rd quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 21,766,922 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $7,516,107,000 after acquiring an additional 3,439,182 shares during the period. Capital International Investors boosted its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 11.1% during the 3rd quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 17,499,949 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $6,042,710,000 after acquiring an additional 1,747,337 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $4,376,167,000. Finally, Capital Research Global Investors boosted its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 126.9% during the 3rd quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 13,042,049 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $4,503,419,000 after acquiring an additional 7,293,009 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.86% of the company’s stock.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Performance

NYSE:UNH opened at $379.70 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $336.85 and a 200-day moving average price of $321.55. The company has a market cap of $344.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.68, a PEG ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 0.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 0.80. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $234.60 and a fifty-two week high of $404.15.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The healthcare conglomerate reported $7.23 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.76 by $0.47. The firm had revenue of $111.65 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $109.84 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 14.65% and a net margin of 2.68%.The company’s revenue was up 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $7.20 EPS. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 18.250- EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 18.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at UnitedHealth Group

In other news, CEO Patrick Hugh Conway sold 800 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $355.00, for a total transaction of $284,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 17,805 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,320,775. This represents a 4.30% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UNH has been the subject of several research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $389.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 28th. TD Cowen lifted their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $311.00 to $337.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. HSBC upgraded UnitedHealth Group from a “reduce” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $300.00 price target for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. Truist Financial restated a “buy” rating and issued a $395.00 price target (up from $370.00) on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $278.00 to $287.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have given a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $397.63.

UnitedHealth Group News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: UnitedHealthcare said it will eliminate prior authorization requirements for nearly two-thirds of pediatric services by year-end. That could reduce administrative friction, improve patient/provider relations, and support customer satisfaction. Reuters article
• Positive Sentiment: Bernstein raised its price target on UNH to $492 from $444 and kept an Outperform rating, citing an EPS recovery outlook. Higher price targets from analysts can help reinforce investor confidence. Yahoo Finance article
• Neutral Sentiment: Berkshire Hathaway fully exited its UNH stake, which is drawing attention to valuation and regulatory risks. While not necessarily a fundamental change, the sale may weigh on sentiment around the stock. Yahoo Finance article
• Negative Sentiment: Massachusetts filed a lawsuit against a UnitedHealth insurance unit, alleging more than $100 million in Medicaid fraud tied to inflated illness severity claims. The lawsuit adds legal and reputational risk for UNH. Investing.com article

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.