Bank of New York Mellon Corp Grows Stock Holdings in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH

Key Points

• Bank of New York Mellon boosted its UnitedHealth stake by 18.2% in Q4, adding more than 1.4 million shares and ending with about 9.16 million shares valued at roughly $3.0 billion.
• Wall Street sentiment remains broadly positive, with firms like Truist, Barclays, Argus, and Raymond James raising targets or ratings; the consensus view is now Moderate Buy with an average price target near $399.50.
• Despite solid earnings and upbeat analyst coverage, regulatory and legal risks are a key overhang, including Medicare reimbursement concerns and lawsuits related to Medicaid risk scores and Medicare Advantage advertising practices.

Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its holdings in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 18.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 9,157,234 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after buying an additional 1,407,412 shares during the period. UnitedHealth Group makes up 0.5% of Bank of New York Mellon Corp's portfolio, making the stock its 25th largest holding. Bank of New York Mellon Corp owned approximately 1.01% of UnitedHealth Group worth $3,022,894,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Public Sector Pension Investment Board raised its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 43.1% in the third quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 287,132 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $99,147,000 after buying an additional 86,432 shares during the period. Oberndorf William E bought a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the 3rd quarter worth about $12,276,000. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 15.2% during the third quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 48,745 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $16,832,000 after acquiring an additional 6,421 shares in the last quarter. Applied Finance Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the third quarter valued at approximately $2,831,000. Finally, Timber Creek Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in UnitedHealth Group during the 3rd quarter valued at $2,227,000. 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: Truist raised its price target on UnitedHealth Group to $440 from $395 and reiterated a buy rating, signaling continued confidence in the company’s earnings power and upside potential.
• Positive Sentiment: UnitedHealth said it plans to eliminate nearly two-thirds of pediatric prior authorizations by year-end, which could reduce administrative burden and improve access to care, a potentially favorable operational move.
• Neutral Sentiment: Several recent opinion-style articles highlighted UNH as a long-term cash-flow and dividend-growth name, reflecting ongoing interest in the stock as a defensive healthcare holding rather than a clear near-term catalyst.
• Negative Sentiment: New Medicare reimbursement concerns are weighing on sentiment, as investors worry changes to government payment rates could pressure UnitedHealth’s margins and future growth. Article: UnitedHealth Group (UNH) Hit by Medicare Reimbursement Concerns
• Negative Sentiment: Massachusetts’ lawsuit over alleged inflation of Medicaid patient risk scores adds legal and reputational risk, raising questions about revenue recognition and government-program scrutiny. Article: UnitedHealth Lawsuit Raises Fresh Questions On Medicaid Revenue And Investor Risk
• Negative Sentiment: Another legal headline about alleged deceptive Medicare Advantage advertising practices adds to concerns that regulatory and litigation risks may stay elevated for UNH. Article: Ninth Circuit Anticipated to Rule on UnitedHealthcare's Alleged Deceptive Medicare Advantage Advertising Practices - GJLaw

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Patrick Hugh Conway sold 800 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $355.00, for a total transaction of $284,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 17,805 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,320,775. This trade represents a 4.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.28% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently commented on UNH. Barclays raised their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $373.00 to $429.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 26th. Argus upgraded shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $400.00 price target for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. HSBC raised UnitedHealth Group from a "reduce" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $300.00 price target for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. Truist Financial lifted their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $395.00 to $440.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday. Finally, Raymond James Financial raised shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $330.00 price target for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have assigned a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $399.50.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Performance

Shares of UNH opened at $377.93 on Wednesday. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a one year low of $234.60 and a one year high of $404.15. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $338.84 and a two-hundred day moving average of $321.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 0.80. The stock has a market cap of $343.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.54, a P/E/G ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 0.64.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 21st. The healthcare conglomerate reported $7.23 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 in the previous year, the business posted $7.20 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 18.250- EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 18.29 EPS for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Company 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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