Asahi Life Asset Management CO. LTD. bought a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 8,251 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock, valued at approximately $3,429,000. UnitedHealth Group makes up 1.9% of Asahi Life Asset Management CO. LTD.'s holdings, making the stock its 10th largest position.
A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. PBCay One RSC Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the 1st quarter valued at about $14,343,000. Vaughan David Investments LLC IL lifted its position in UnitedHealth Group by 2.7% during the fourth quarter. Vaughan David Investments LLC IL now owns 150,773 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $49,772,000 after purchasing an additional 3,934 shares during the period. Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. boosted its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 1,287.2% in the first quarter. Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. now owns 60,022 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $16,241,000 after purchasing an additional 55,695 shares during the last quarter. Kinsale Capital Group Inc. raised its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 13.4% during the 2nd quarter. Kinsale Capital Group Inc. now owns 38,510 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $16,006,000 after buying an additional 4,557 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kelleher Financial Advisors grew its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 135.9% in the second quarter. Kelleher Financial Advisors now owns 5,495 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $2,284,000 after acquiring an additional 3,166 shares during the period. 87.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
UNH has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $463.00 to $478.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Oppenheimer boosted their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $420.00 to $500.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, July 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $466.00 to $516.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded UnitedHealth Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 8th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have given a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, UnitedHealth Group currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $455.92.
View Our Latest Research Report on UnitedHealth Group
Insiders Place Their Bets
In other UnitedHealth Group news, CEO Patrick Hugh Conway sold 500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $410.00, for a total transaction of $205,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 16,497 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,763,770. This trade represents a 2.94% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.19% of the stock is owned by insiders.
UnitedHealth Group Trading Up 1.6%
UnitedHealth Group stock opened at $390.94 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 12-month low of $255.96 and a 12-month high of $461.62. The firm has a market capitalization of $350.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.16, a P/E/G ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 0.62. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $413.99 and a 200 day moving average of $355.96.
UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 16th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.38 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.94 by $1.44. The business had revenue of $112.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $110.81 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 3.14% and a return on equity of 16.53%. The company's revenue was up .4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $4.08 earnings per share. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 19.500-20.000 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 19.81 earnings per share for the current year.
UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend
The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 22nd. Investors of record on Monday, September 14th will be issued a $2.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 14th. This represents a $9.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. UnitedHealth Group's payout ratio is currently 59.72%.
Key Headlines Impacting UnitedHealth Group
Here are the key news stories impacting UnitedHealth Group this week:
- Positive Sentiment: UnitedHealth is reportedly prioritizing Medicare Advantage profitability over rapid membership growth by tightening benefits, improving pricing and controlling costs. The strategy could support stronger margins and more sustainable earnings, even if enrollment growth moderates. Is UnitedHealth Finding a Better Path to Medicare Advantage Growth?
- Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research added UNH to its Rank #1, or “Strong Buy,” lists for overall stocks, value stocks and income stocks. The repeated favorable rankings may reinforce investor confidence in the shares. New Strong Buy Stocks for August 21st
- Positive Sentiment: Analysts raised several forward EPS estimates, including Q1 2028 to $7.36 from $6.78 and Q2 2028 to $7.19 from $5.84. A separate report also noted an increase in the Q1 EPS estimate, while Zacks maintained a Strong Buy rating. Q1 EPS Estimate for UnitedHealth Group Increased by Analyst
- Neutral Sentiment: Forecast revisions were mixed: Q3 2027 EPS was reduced to $4.74 from $4.81 and Q4 2027 to $4.07 from $4.12, partially offsetting the increases for 2028.
- Negative Sentiment: Aon expects U.S. employer health-care costs to rise 9.5% in 2027. Persistent medical-cost inflation could pressure insurers’ margins and increase pricing, benefit and utilization-management challenges for UnitedHealth. AON Sees No Relief From Health-Cost Inflation
UnitedHealth Group Company Profile
(
Free Report)
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.
Further Reading
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