6,152 UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH Shares Sold by Palisade Asset Management LLC

Key Points

• Palisade Asset Management cut its UnitedHealth stake by 7.7%, selling 6,152 shares in the third quarter; it retained 73,704 shares valued at about $27.1 million.
• Other major institutional investors, including BlackRock and State Street, increased their holdings, while institutions collectively owned 87.86% of the company’s stock.
• UnitedHealth reported quarterly EPS of $4.69, beating estimates of $4.14, and declared a $2.32 quarterly dividend. Analysts’ consensus rating was “Moderate Buy,” with a $463.93 average price target.

Palisade Asset Management LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 7.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 73,704 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after selling 6,152 shares during the period. UnitedHealth Group makes up approximately 2.6% of Palisade Asset Management LLC's holdings, making the stock its 6th largest position. Palisade Asset Management LLC's holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $27,055,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in UNH. BlackRock Inc. raised its stake 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 buying an additional 3,395,530 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 0.7% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 45,633,267 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $18,966,555,000 after acquiring an additional 301,081 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 6.1% in the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 10,704,994 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $4,449,317,000 after acquiring an additional 616,723 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 5.8% during the second 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. Finally, Corient Private Wealth LP increased its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 1,443.7% during the second quarter. Corient Private Wealth LP now owns 8,447,224 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $3,510,920,000 after acquiring an additional 7,900,011 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.86% of the company's stock.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Down 0.4%

UNH stock opened at $394.14 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $353.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.51, a P/E/G ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 0.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 0.74 and a quick ratio of 0.78. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 1-year low of $255.96 and a 1-year high of $461.62. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $390.62 and a 200-day moving average price of $364.03.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 13th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $4.69 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 company had revenue of $112.72 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $111.31 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.59 earnings per share. UnitedHealth Group's revenue was down .4% compared to the same quarter last year. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 20.500- EPS. Equities analysts forecast that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 20.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 7th will be issued a dividend of $2.32 per share. This represents a $9.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 7th. UnitedHealth Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 53.00%.

Insider Activity

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on UNH shares. Oppenheimer upped their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $420.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $401.00 to $490.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, July 17th. UBS Group reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Tuesday, October 13th. Leerink Partners upped their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $462.00 to $472.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a report on Thursday, October 8th. Twenty investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $463.93.

Key Headlines Impacting UnitedHealth Group

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

• Positive Sentiment: ETFs purchased $56.4 million of UNH shares on Nov. 4, a potentially supportive demand signal. ETFs Are Buying UnitedHealth (UNH) on Nov. 4
• Positive Sentiment: UnitedHealth’s Q3 adjusted EPS of $4.69 topped analyst expectations, and a recent earnings analysis said the results bolstered confidence in a margin recovery. UnitedHealth (UNH) Q3 Earnings Lift Confidence In Margin Recovery
• Positive Sentiment: A Zacks article characterized Wall Street analysts’ view of UNH as a Buy, offering a favorable sentiment signal, though the article summary did not cite a specific new rating change. Wall Street Analysts See UnitedHealth (UNH) as a Buy: Should You Invest?
• Positive Sentiment: The company declared a quarterly dividend of $2.32 per share, equivalent to $9.28 annually and a reported yield of 2.3%. UnitedHealth Group Declares Quarterly Dividend Of $2.32 Per Share
• Negative Sentiment: Utilization and policy concerns remain an overhang for the company, highlighting uncertainty around medical costs and the regulatory environment. Utilization and Policy Concerns Weigh on UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (UNH)
• Negative Sentiment: Renewed calls for a regulatory review of UnitedHealth’s business scale, alongside warnings that AI could disrupt large healthcare companies, add longer-term risk concerns. UnitedHealth Group (UNH) Draws Breakup Pressure As AI Threat Enters The Story

UnitedHealth Group Profile

UnitedHealth Group is a diversified health care company that provides health benefits and health services through two main businesses: UnitedHealthcare and Optum. UnitedHealthcare offers health insurance and related benefit plans to individuals, employers and government programs, including Medicare and Medicaid.

Optum provides services across the health care system, including care delivery, pharmacy services, pharmacy benefit management, health technology and data analytics. Its businesses serve consumers, health care providers, employers, health plans and government organizations.

Founded in 1977 as United HealthCare Corporation, the company is headquartered in Minnetonka, Minnesota.

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