300,000 Shares in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH Purchased by Employees Provident Fund Board

Key Points

• Employees Provident Fund Board opened a new position in UnitedHealth Group, buying 300,000 shares valued at about $99 million in the fourth quarter.
• Institutional ownership in UNH remains very high, with hedge funds and other institutional investors holding 87.86% of the stock. Several large firms, including Vanguard and State Street, also increased their stakes.
• Analysts remain constructive on the stock: UnitedHealth has a Moderate Buy consensus rating with an average price target of $409.75, while the company also raised its quarterly dividend to $2.32 per share.

Employees Provident Fund Board acquired a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 300,000 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock, valued at approximately $99,033,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 1.1% in the fourth 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. State Street Corp increased 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 worth $14,931,592,000 after buying an additional 1,119,834 shares during the period. Capital World Investors boosted 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 valued at $7,457,723,000 after acquiring an additional 824,120 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its stake in 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 worth $6,215,660,000 after purchasing an additional 680,077 shares during the period. Finally, Capital International Investors boosted its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 6.6% during the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 18,655,111 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $6,158,734,000 after purchasing an additional 1,155,162 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.86% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Patrick Hugh Conway sold 800 shares of UnitedHealth Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $355.00, for a total transaction of $284,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 17,805 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,320,775. This trade represents a 4.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.28% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UNH has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an "overweight" rating on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Thursday, June 11th. Barclays raised their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $373.00 to $429.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 26th. Truist Financial increased their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $395.00 to $440.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, June 1st. Argus raised UnitedHealth Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $400.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $370.00 to $397.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have given a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $409.75.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Down 0.0%

Shares of NYSE:UNH opened at $400.86 on Friday. 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 52-week low of $234.60 and a 52-week high of $415.98. The firm has a market capitalization of $364.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.28, a P/E/G ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 0.64. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $373.69 and a 200-day moving average price of $329.55.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The healthcare conglomerate reported $7.23 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.76 by $0.47. The company had revenue of $111.65 billion for 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 for the quarter was up 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $7.20 earnings per share. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 18.250- EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 18.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 23rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be issued a $2.32 dividend. 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. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 15th. UnitedHealth Group's dividend payout ratio is currently 70.09%.

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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