Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI Reduces Position in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH

Key Points

• Citizens Financial Group trimmed its UnitedHealth stake by 27.3%, selling 7,521 shares and leaving 19,982 shares valued at about $6.596 million in its latest 13F filing.
• UnitedHealth beat Q1 earnings and revenue (EPS $7.23 vs. $6.76 consensus), raised FY‑2026 guidance (around 18.25 EPS), and has attracted positive analyst actions and a Goldman Sachs conviction‑list inclusion that helped lift the stock.
• Institutional ownership remains high at 87.86% with large funds like Vanguard adding shares, while CEO Patrick Conway executed a modest insider sale of 800 shares (~$284k).

Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI decreased its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 27.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 19,982 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after selling 7,521 shares during the quarter. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI's holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $6,596,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have commented on the stock. Mizuho decreased their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $430.00 to $350.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $361.00 to $400.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $370.00 to $397.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $375.00 to $395.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, KeyCorp reissued an "overweight" rating on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have given a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, UnitedHealth Group presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $378.88.

Insider Buying and Selling at UnitedHealth Group

In related news, CEO Patrick Hugh Conway sold 800 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 23rd. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at approximately $6,320,775. This represents a 4.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.28% of the company's stock.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Down 0.3%

Shares of UNH opened at $369.29 on Friday. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $299.45 and its 200-day simple moving average is $317.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 0.80. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 1 year low of $234.60 and a 1 year high of $409.70. The stock has a market capitalization of $335.39 billion, a PE ratio of 27.89, a P/E/G ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.63.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The healthcare conglomerate reported $7.23 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $6.76 by $0.47. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 2.68% and a return on equity of 14.65%. The firm had revenue of $111.65 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $109.84 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $7.20 earnings per share. 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. Analysts forecast that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 18.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 9th were paid a dividend of $2.21 per share. This represents a $8.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 9th. UnitedHealth Group's dividend payout ratio is presently 66.77%.

Key Headlines Impacting UnitedHealth Group

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 beat and outlook lift — UnitedHealth reported a sizable Q1 beat, raised its 2026 outlook and earlier popped ~14.5% on the results, giving the company fresh earnings momentum that supports higher valuations. UnitedHealth Pops 14.5% After Q1 Beat: Still a Buy or Too Late Now?
• Positive Sentiment: Goldman Sachs endorsement — Goldman added UNH to its U.S. conviction list, a notable buy-side vote that can attract institutional flows and lend support to the stock. Goldman Sachs Adds UnitedHealth to Its Conviction List: Is the Managed Care Comeback Real?
• Positive Sentiment: Strong recent momentum vs. peers — UNH slightly outperformed Humana in April’s managed-care rally, signaling resilience vs. a key peer during a positive sector backdrop. UnitedHealth or Humana: Which Managed Care Stock Had the Healthiest Returns in April?
• Positive Sentiment: Buy thesis discussion — Analyst commentary is probing whether UNH is now undervalued after the rally, which can attract long-term buy interest if investors buy the growth/Optum story. Is UnitedHealth Stock an Undervalued Stock to Buy?
• Neutral Sentiment: CVS valuation context — Coverage noting CVS trades much cheaper than UNH highlights relative valuation differences that may shift some value-oriented flows away from UNH. CVS Earnings Are Coming. Why the Stock Is No Longer a Value Trap.
• Neutral Sentiment: Macro/ETF context — A note on the Invesco S&P 500 Revenue ETF is tangential but relevant for portfolio allocation decisions that could affect large-cap names like UNH. Should Invesco S&P 500 Revenue ETF (RWL) Be on Your Investing Radar?
• Negative Sentiment: Competitor strength — Cigna reported strong results led by Evernorth, and an improving peer picture can pressure market-share expectations or investor preference within the sector. Cigna Q1 Earnings Beat Estimates on Strong Evernorth Unit
• Negative Sentiment: Insider trimming — Optum CEO Patrick Conway sold about $284k of UNH stock after earnings (his first 2026 sale), which can be read as modest profit-taking and may add to near-term selling pressure. UnitedHealth Stock Has Rallied Since Earnings. One Top Insider Is Trimming His Stake.

UnitedHealth Group 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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