Assenagon Asset Management S.A. Sells 452,536 Shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH

Key Points

• Assenagon Asset Management cut its UnitedHealth stake by 34.6% in the third quarter, selling 452,536 shares and retaining 853,517 shares valued at approximately $313.3 million.
• UnitedHealth reported a third-quarter earnings beat, with adjusted EPS of $4.69 versus $4.14 expected and revenue of $112.7 billion versus $111.31 billion forecast. Management raised its 2026 adjusted earnings outlook to at least $20.50 per share.
• Growth concerns remain despite improving margins and broadly positive analyst sentiment, including risks from shrinking membership, higher commercial medical costs, Medicaid pressure and uncertainty around Medicare participation.

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. trimmed its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 34.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 853,517 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after selling 452,536 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. owned 0.10% of UnitedHealth Group worth $313,309,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Corient Private Wealth LP purchased a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $245,516,000. Legal & General Group Plc bought a new stake in UnitedHealth Group in the 2nd quarter valued at $2,444,928,000. Jupiter Topco LLC purchased a new stake in UnitedHealth Group in the 2nd quarter worth $2,019,844,000. BlackRock Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 4.6% during the 2nd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 76,863,061 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $31,946,594,000 after purchasing an additional 3,395,530 shares during the last quarter. Finally, T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 141.9% during the fourth quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,109,029 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $1,356,432,000 after purchasing an additional 2,410,128 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.86% of the company's stock.

UnitedHealth Group News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q3 earnings beat expectations: UnitedHealth reported adjusted EPS of $4.69 versus the $4.14 consensus estimate and revenue of $112.7 billion versus $111.31 billion expected. Revenue was roughly flat year over year, but profitability improved significantly. UnitedHealth Stock Moves Higher: What's Going On?
• Positive Sentiment: Higher earnings outlook: Management raised its 2026 adjusted earnings forecast to at least $20.50 per share, above its previous $19.50–$20.00 range. The guidance increase was the primary catalyst for the stock’s upward move. UnitedHealth Group gains after Q3 beat and higher 2026 outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Margin recovery signals: The medical care ratio improved to 88.4%, while Optum generated $3.7 billion in earnings. Analysts also cited pricing discipline, benefit changes, care-delivery improvements and AI initiatives as potential supports for stronger 2027 growth. UNH Q3 Deep Dive: Margin Recovery and AI Initiatives Shape 2027 Outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Constructive analyst views: Goldman Sachs reportedly raised its price target to $506, while Piper Sandler maintained an overweight rating and lifted its target to $504. Mizuho also continues to view UNH as a top healthcare pick. Goldman Sachs raises UNH target price to $506
• Neutral Sentiment: Defensive appeal: UnitedHealth is being highlighted as a low-beta healthcare stock that could benefit from investor demand for defensive companies if inflation and energy costs remain elevated. 3 Low-Beta Defensive Stocks to Buy as Inflation Continues to Surge
• Negative Sentiment: Growth risks remain: Analysts flagged shrinking membership, pressure from commercial medical costs and Medicaid, and uncertainty surrounding Medicare participation. TD Cowen reaffirmed a hold rating with a $402 target, while other firms reduced targets despite maintaining generally positive ratings. UnitedHealth Beats on Earnings, But Investors Question Growth Path

Insider Buying and Selling

In other UnitedHealth Group news, CEO Patrick Conway sold 1,169 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $390.00, for a total transaction of $455,910.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 15,328 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,977,920. The trade was a 7.09% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.19% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

UnitedHealth Group Price Performance

UNH opened at $407.45 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $387.17 and its 200-day simple moving average is $384.52. The company has a market capitalization of $365.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.38, a PEG ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 0.60. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 12-month low of $255.96 and a 12-month high of $461.62.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, October 13th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $4.69 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $4.14 by $0.55. The business had revenue of $112.70 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $111.31 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 3.53% and a return on equity of 17.95%. The company's revenue for the quarter was down .4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.59 EPS. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 20.500- EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 20.66 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 22nd. Investors of record on Monday, September 14th were given a dividend of $2.32 per share. This represents a $9.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 14th. UnitedHealth Group's dividend payout ratio is currently 59.72%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. Bank of America reissued a "buy" rating and set a $450.00 price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Monday, July 20th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a "hold" rating and set a $402.00 price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Thursday. Oppenheimer increased their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $420.00 to $500.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, July 17th. HSBC raised their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $300.00 to $380.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, July 6th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $401.00 to $490.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Twenty analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $461.48.

About UnitedHealth Group

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated NYSE: UNH is a diversified health care and well-being company serving individuals, employers, health care providers and government programs. Its operations are organized primarily through UnitedHealthcare and Optum.

UnitedHealthcare provides health benefit plans and services, including employer-sponsored coverage, individual and family plans, Medicare and Medicaid offerings, and other government-supported programs. Its services include health insurance administration, pharmacy benefits and care management.

Optum provides health care services, technology and data solutions, pharmacy services, and analytics to health plans, employers, government agencies, health care providers and consumers.

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