Birchwood Financial Partners Inc. Makes New Investment in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH

Key Points

• Birchwood Financial Partners opened a new position in UnitedHealth Group during the fourth quarter, buying 6,104 shares worth about $2.0 million. The stock now represents 2.0% of Birchwood’s portfolio and its 12th-largest holding.
• Institutional ownership remains very high, with hedge funds and other institutional investors controlling 87.86% of UnitedHealth’s shares. Several other firms also added to or initiated positions in the company.
• UnitedHealth also saw some insider selling, as CEO Patrick Hugh Conway sold 800 shares for $284,000 in April, while the company recently raised its quarterly dividend to $2.32 per share and reported earnings that beat Wall Street expectations.

Birchwood Financial Partners Inc. acquired a new stake in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 6,104 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock, valued at approximately $2,015,000. UnitedHealth Group makes up 2.0% of Birchwood Financial Partners Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th biggest position.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Sarver Vrooman Wealth Advisors purchased a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Beacon Financial Strategies CORP acquired a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Anfield Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 220.0% during the fourth quarter. Anfield Capital Management LLC now owns 80 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Joseph Group Capital Management acquired a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Finally, Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC raised its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 69.4% during the 3rd quarter. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC now owns 83 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.86% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at UnitedHealth Group

In other UnitedHealth Group news, CEO Patrick Hugh Conway sold 800 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $355.00, for a total transaction of $284,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 17,805 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,320,775. The trade was a 4.30% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.28% of the company's stock.

UnitedHealth Group Price Performance

UnitedHealth Group stock opened at $400.86 on Friday. 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 business has a 50 day simple moving average of $371.80 and a 200-day simple moving average of $329.05. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 12 month low of $234.60 and a 12 month high of $415.98. The stock has a market capitalization of $364.04 billion, a PE ratio of 30.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.61 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 earnings per share (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 company had revenue of $111.65 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $109.84 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $7.20 EPS. UnitedHealth Group's revenue was up 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 18.250- EPS. Equities analysts predict that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 18.32 earnings per share for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Increases Dividend

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

Key UnitedHealth Group News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Leerink Partners lifted its price target on UnitedHealth Group and reiterated an outperform rating, pointing to stronger expected margins at Optum Health and improving turnaround momentum. Article
• Positive Sentiment: Recent commentary from Wall Street suggests investors are becoming more confident that UnitedHealth’s operational recovery is gaining traction after last year’s share price decline. Article
• Neutral Sentiment: UnitedHealth was mentioned among healthcare and enterprise-advisory companies in a story about Optura adding strategic advisors, but the announcement was not about UNH’s operations or guidance. Article
• Neutral Sentiment: Several roundup-style articles highlighted UnitedHealth as a stock to watch, but they did not add a new company-specific catalyst. Article
• Negative Sentiment: Earlier in the period, UnitedHealth fell more than the broader market in a trading session, reflecting some lingering volatility even as analyst sentiment improved. Article

Analyst Ratings Changes

UNH has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $444.00 to $492.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Raymond James Financial upgraded UnitedHealth Group from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $330.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st. Barclays raised their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $373.00 to $429.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 26th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $395.00 to $453.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, June 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have issued a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $409.75.

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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