159,328 Shares in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH Purchased by OP Asset Management Ltd

Key Points

• OP Asset Management Ltd opened a new position in UnitedHealth Group, buying 159,328 shares valued at about $43.1 million in the first quarter.
• Institutional ownership remains very high at 87.86%, and several major funds including Vanguard, State Street, and Capital World Investors also increased their UNH holdings.
• Analyst sentiment is mostly positive: the stock carries a Moderate Buy rating with an average target price of $410.79, while UnitedHealth recently beat earnings estimates and raised its quarterly dividend to $2.32 per share.

OP Asset Management Ltd bought a new position in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 159,328 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock, valued at approximately $43,113,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of UNH. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 91,600,260 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $30,238,162,000 after buying an additional 995,210 shares during the period. State Street Corp raised its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 45,232,170 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $14,931,592,000 after acquiring an additional 1,119,834 shares in the last quarter. Capital World Investors grew its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 3.8% during the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 22,591,042 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $7,457,723,000 after acquiring an additional 824,120 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 3.7% in the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 18,829,054 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $6,215,660,000 after purchasing an additional 680,077 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capital International Investors lifted its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 6.6% in the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 18,655,111 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $6,158,734,000 after purchasing an additional 1,155,162 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 87.86% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently commented on UNH shares. HC Wainwright set a $492.00 price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $278.00 to $287.00 and gave the stock an "underperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Erste Group Bank raised UnitedHealth Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $420.00 to $466.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, June 8th. One equities 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 assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, UnitedHealth Group presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $410.79.

Insider Activity at UnitedHealth Group

In other news, CEO Patrick Hugh Conway sold 800 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $355.00, for a total value of $284,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 17,805 shares in the company, valued at $6,320,775. This represents a 4.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.28% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

UnitedHealth Group Price Performance

Shares of UNH opened at $405.86 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.80. The company's fifty day moving average price is $379.62 and its 200-day moving average price is $331.17. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 1-year low of $234.60 and a 1-year high of $415.98. The firm has a market capitalization of $368.58 billion, a PE ratio of 30.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.64.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The healthcare conglomerate reported $7.23 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $6.76 by $0.47. The company had revenue of $111.65 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $109.84 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 14.65% and a net margin of 2.68%.The firm's revenue was up 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $7.20 EPS. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 18.250- EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 18.32 EPS for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 23rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th were given a dividend of $2.32 per share. 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 2.3%. This is a boost from UnitedHealth Group's previous quarterly dividend of $2.21. UnitedHealth Group's payout ratio is 70.09%.

UnitedHealth Group News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America raised its price target on UnitedHealth Group to $475 from $450 and reiterated a buy rating, signaling additional upside from current levels. Benzinga article on price target increase
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple articles highlighted UnitedHealth Group as a top long-term value stock, which may be supporting sentiment among growth-at-a-reasonable-price investors. Zacks article on long-term value stock
• Positive Sentiment: Commentary from Jim Cramer recommending UNH as a buy added to the upbeat tone around the stock. Motley Fool article on Jim Cramer
• Positive Sentiment: UNH also reached a proposed FTC settlement over insulin rebating practices, which could reduce regulatory uncertainty if finalized. Yahoo Finance article on FTC settlement
• Neutral Sentiment: Several additional pieces described UnitedHealth as steady in healthcare or discussed whether it is a buy, but did not add a major new catalyst beyond the generally favorable sentiment. Kalkine Media article on steady performance

About UnitedHealth Group

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.

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