UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) Stock Now Rated "Moderate Buy" by Wall Street Analysts

Key Points

• UnitedHealth Group has a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating from 28 analysts, with 20 buy ratings and 8 holds. The average 12-month price target is $462.59, with recent targets ranging as high as $529.
• UnitedHealth reported quarterly earnings of $6.38 per share, beating estimates of $4.94, while revenue reached $112.03 billion. The company reaffirmed fiscal 2026 earnings guidance of $19.50–$20.00 per share.
• Institutional investors own 87.86% of the company, with major holders including BlackRock and State Street increasing their positions. UnitedHealth also pays a quarterly dividend of $2.32 per share, equivalent to a 2.5% yield.

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) has earned a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the twenty-eight ratings firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and twenty have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $462.59.

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Robert W. Baird upgraded UnitedHealth Group from an "underperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and increased their price target for the stock from $287.00 to $453.00 in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Oppenheimer boosted their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $420.00 to $500.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $397.00 to $485.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. Weiss Ratings raised UnitedHealth Group from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $468.00 to $529.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, July 17th.

Insider Buying and Selling at UnitedHealth Group

In related news, CEO Patrick Conway sold 1,169 shares of UnitedHealth Group stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $390.00, for a total value of $455,910.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 15,328 shares in the company, valued at $5,977,920. This trade represents a 7.09% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.19% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On UnitedHealth Group

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. BlackRock Inc. grew its position in UnitedHealth Group by 4.6% during the second quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 76,863,061 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $31,946,594,000 after purchasing an additional 3,395,530 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 0.7% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 45,633,267 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $18,966,555,000 after buying an additional 301,081 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its position in UnitedHealth Group by 21.8% in the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 11,713,684 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $3,169,606,000 after buying an additional 2,097,859 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 6.1% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 10,704,994 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $4,449,317,000 after buying an additional 616,723 shares during the period. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 5.8% during the 2nd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 10,675,175 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $4,436,923,000 after acquiring an additional 583,536 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.86% of the company's stock.

UnitedHealth Group Trading Down 0.3%

NYSE UNH opened at $377.98 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a current ratio of 0.78. UnitedHealth Group has a one year low of $255.96 and a one year high of $461.62. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $388.03 and a 200-day simple moving average of $381.81. The firm has a market capitalization of $339.27 billion, a PE ratio of 24.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 0.60.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 16th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.38 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.94 by $1.44. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 3.14% and a return on equity of 16.53%. The firm had revenue of $112.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $110.81 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $4.08 earnings per share. UnitedHealth Group's quarterly revenue was up .4% on a year-over-year basis. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 19.500-20.000 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that UnitedHealth Group will post 19.85 earnings per share for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 22nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 14th were given a dividend of $2.32 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 14th. This represents a $9.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.5%. UnitedHealth Group's dividend payout ratio is currently 59.72%.

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.

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