Benjamin Edwards Inc. Grows Holdings in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH

Key Points

• Benjamin Edwards Inc. increased its UnitedHealth Group stake by 17.2% in the second quarter, bringing its holdings to 77,966 shares valued at approximately $32.4 million. Institutional investors collectively own 87.86% of UNH.
• Analyst sentiment remains broadly positive, with an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $456.56, although some firms recently downgraded the stock to a hold rating.
• UnitedHealth exceeded quarterly earnings expectations, reporting $6.38 in earnings per share versus the $4.94 consensus estimate, and declared a quarterly dividend of $2.32 per share, equivalent to a 2.4% annualized yield.

Benjamin Edwards Inc. boosted its stake in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 17.2% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 77,966 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after acquiring an additional 11,455 shares during the period. Benjamin Edwards Inc.'s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $32,417,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $297,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 4.1% in the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 272,738 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $113,358,000 after acquiring an additional 10,790 shares during the last quarter. Private Management Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $214,000. Rational Advisors Inc. increased its position in UnitedHealth Group by 630.5% during the 2nd quarter. Rational Advisors Inc. now owns 2,155 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $896,000 after purchasing an additional 1,860 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Co boosted its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 68.8% during the 2nd quarter. Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Co now owns 9,529 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $3,961,000 after purchasing an additional 3,884 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.86% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at UnitedHealth Group

In related news, CEO Patrick Hugh Conway sold 1,169 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 owned 15,328 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,977,920. This represents a 7.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.19% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UNH has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Bank of America reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Monday, July 20th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $468.00 to $529.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Erste Group Bank cut UnitedHealth Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday. 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, Weiss Ratings cut shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have assigned a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $456.56.

UnitedHealth Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE UNH opened at $393.99 on Friday. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 1-year low of $255.96 and a 1-year high of $461.62. The firm has a market capitalization of $353.64 billion, a PE ratio of 25.35, a P/E/G ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 0.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.78. The business's fifty day moving average price is $413.28 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $360.11.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations 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 for the quarter was up .4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $4.08 EPS. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 19.500-20.000 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 19.82 EPS for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 22nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 14th 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, September 14th. UnitedHealth Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 59.72%.

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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