Align Financial LLC Invests $18.09 Million in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH

Align Financial LLC bought 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 filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 54,798 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock, valued at approximately $18,089,000.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Sarver Vrooman Wealth Advisors acquired a new stake in UnitedHealth Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Beacon Financial Strategies CORP acquired a new stake in UnitedHealth Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Anfield Capital Management LLC lifted its position in UnitedHealth Group by 220.0% in the fourth quarter. Anfield Capital Management LLC now owns 80 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the period. Joseph Group Capital Management acquired a new stake in UnitedHealth Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Finally, Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC lifted its position in UnitedHealth Group by 69.4% in the third quarter. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC now owns 83 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.86% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UNH has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Argus upgraded shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $400.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Bank of America raised shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their target price for the company from $420.00 to $450.00 in a report on Thursday, June 4th. Truist Financial increased their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $395.00 to $440.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, June 1st. Erste Group Bank raised shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 27th. Finally, Barclays increased their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $373.00 to $429.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 26th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have assigned a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, UnitedHealth Group presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $409.75.

UnitedHealth Group Trading Down 2.0%

Shares of UNH opened at $399.33 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 firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $369.93 and a 200-day simple moving average of $328.55. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 1-year low of $234.60 and a 1-year high of $415.98. The stock has a market cap of $362.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 0.64.

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

UnitedHealth Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 23rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be paid a $2.32 dividend. This represents a $9.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. This is an increase from UnitedHealth Group's previous quarterly dividend of $2.21. UnitedHealth Group's dividend payout ratio is presently 70.09%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other UnitedHealth Group 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 value of $284,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 17,805 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,320,775. The trade was a 4.30% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.28% of the company's stock.

Key Headlines Impacting UnitedHealth Group

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

• Positive Sentiment: Leerink Partners raised its price target on UnitedHealth Group to $462 from $400 and reiterated an outperform rating, citing improved margin expectations at Optum Health and signaling confidence in the company’s recovery efforts. Leerink Raises UnitedHealth PT
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street commentary has grown more constructive on UnitedHealth’s turnaround, with analysts pointing to better long-term profitability at its Optum Health unit as a reason the stock could recover further. UnitedHealth Stock Gets a Target Price Increase
• Neutral Sentiment: Separate coverage noted that hedge funds have continued to buy UnitedHealth, suggesting institutional interest remains solid, though this is not a direct catalyst by itself. Hedge Funds Bought UnitedHealth
• Neutral Sentiment: One investor-letter item said Sustainable Growth Advisers sold its stake in UNH, but the article provided limited detail on the reason, so the stock impact is unclear. SGA Sold UnitedHealth Stake
• Negative Sentiment: Despite the bullish analyst note, UNH also traded lower than the broader market in the latest session, reflecting that investors are still cautious about the pace and durability of the turnaround. UnitedHealth Fell More Than Broader Market

UnitedHealth Group 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.

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