Bristol Gate Capital Partners Inc. Sells 12,443 Shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH

Key Points

• Bristol Gate Capital Partners reduced its UnitedHealth Group stake by 4.9% in the fourth quarter, selling 12,443 shares and leaving it with 243,684 shares valued at about $80.4 million.
• Institutional ownership remains heavy, with hedge funds and other institutional investors holding 87.86% of UNH shares; several large firms, including Vanguard and Capital World Investors, also increased their positions recently.
• Analysts remain constructive on UnitedHealth, with multiple firms raising price targets and the consensus rating sitting at Moderate Buy with an average target of $387.57, while the stock also faces ongoing scrutiny around Medicare Advantage overpayments.

Bristol Gate Capital Partners Inc. cut its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 4.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 243,684 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after selling 12,443 shares during the quarter. UnitedHealth Group comprises approximately 4.6% of Bristol Gate Capital Partners Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 10th biggest holding. Bristol Gate Capital Partners Inc.'s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $80,443,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in UnitedHealth Group by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 91,600,260 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $30,238,162,000 after buying an additional 995,210 shares during the period. Capital World Investors lifted its position in UnitedHealth Group by 18.8% during the third quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 21,766,922 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $7,516,107,000 after buying an additional 3,439,182 shares during the period. Capital International Investors increased its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 11.1% during the third quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 17,499,949 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $6,042,710,000 after acquiring an additional 1,747,337 shares during the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors increased its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 126.9% during the third quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 13,042,049 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $4,503,419,000 after acquiring an additional 7,293,009 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dodge & Cox increased its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 8.6% during the third quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 9,505,636 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $3,282,296,000 after acquiring an additional 755,076 shares during the last quarter. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Mizuho increased their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $410.00 to $440.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $389.00 to $420.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 28th. Raymond James Financial upgraded UnitedHealth Group from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $330.00 target price for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $375.00 to $395.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, Barclays increased their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $327.00 to $373.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have given a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $387.57.

More UnitedHealth Group News

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

• Positive Sentiment: UBS raised its price target on UnitedHealth Group to $460 from $410 and reiterated a Buy rating, signaling meaningful upside from current levels. Benzinga report on UBS target increase
• Positive Sentiment: UnitedHealth was highlighted by multiple outlets as a high-quality stock and a turnaround bet, with commentary noting that managed care is outgrowing the broader economy and that the company is benefiting from AI adoption in operations. Motley Fool article on AI and turnaround
• Neutral Sentiment: UnitedHealth also appeared in a hedge-fund “high quality stocks” list and a Goldman Sachs conviction-list discussion, which supports the stock’s investment case but does not change fundamentals on its own. InsiderMonkey article on turnaround case
• Negative Sentiment: There is still headline risk around Medicare Advantage overpayments, with a Congressional committee estimating about $7 billion annually in excess payments to private insurers, which could keep regulatory scrutiny on managed-care names like UNH. 247WallSt article on Medicare Advantage overpayments
• Negative Sentiment: Recent discussion also noted that Berkshire-linked selling contributed to a prior stock slide, underscoring that investor sentiment can still turn quickly. Barchart article on Berkshire stake sale

UnitedHealth Group Trading Up 1.6%

Shares of UNH opened at $388.42 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $352.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.34, a P/E/G ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.64. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a one year low of $234.60 and a one year high of $404.15. 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 50-day moving average price of $326.93 and a 200 day moving average price of $319.63.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The healthcare conglomerate reported $7.23 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $6.76 by $0.47. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 14.65% and a net margin of 2.68%.The firm had revenue of $111.65 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $109.84 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $7.20 earnings per share. UnitedHealth Group's revenue for the quarter was up 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 18.250- EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 18.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 9th were given a $2.21 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 9th. This represents a $8.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.3%. UnitedHealth Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 66.77%.

Insider Activity at UnitedHealth Group

In other news, CEO Patrick Hugh Conway sold 800 shares of UnitedHealth Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $355.00, for a total value of $284,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 17,805 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,320,775. This trade represents a 4.30% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.28% of the company's stock.

About UnitedHealth Group

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.