Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS Sells 6,782 Shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH

Key Points

• Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS reduced its UnitedHealth Group stake by 3.1% in the fourth quarter, selling 6,782 shares and ending with 210,703 shares valued at about $69.6 million.
• Analysts remain constructive on UNH, with Bernstein raising its price target to $492 and keeping an Outperform rating. Several other firms also lifted targets, and the stock’s consensus rating is currently Moderate Buy.
• Recent company news is mixed: UnitedHealthcare plans to remove prior authorization for nearly two-thirds of pediatric services by year-end, but Massachusetts also filed a lawsuit against a UnitedHealth unit alleging more than $100 million in Medicaid fraud.

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS trimmed its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 3.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 210,703 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after selling 6,782 shares during the period. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS's holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $69,555,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UNH. Impact Partnership Wealth LLC grew its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 15.9% in the 4th quarter. Impact Partnership Wealth LLC now owns 2,525 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $834,000 after purchasing an additional 347 shares during the period. Koss Olinger Consulting LLC grew its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 5.3% in the 4th quarter. Koss Olinger Consulting LLC now owns 1,032 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $341,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares during the period. Forsta AP Fonden grew its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Forsta AP Fonden now owns 218,460 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $72,116,000 after purchasing an additional 960 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $4,376,167,000. Finally, Eurizon SLJ Capital Ltd bought a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $490,000. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key UnitedHealth Group News

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

• Positive Sentiment: UnitedHealthcare said it will eliminate prior authorization requirements for nearly two-thirds of pediatric services by year-end. That could reduce administrative friction, improve patient/provider relations, and support customer satisfaction. Reuters article
• Positive Sentiment: Bernstein raised its price target on UNH to $492 from $444 and kept an Outperform rating, citing an EPS recovery outlook. Higher price targets from analysts can help reinforce investor confidence. Yahoo Finance article
• Neutral Sentiment: Berkshire Hathaway fully exited its UNH stake, which is drawing attention to valuation and regulatory risks. While not necessarily a fundamental change, the sale may weigh on sentiment around the stock. Yahoo Finance article
• Negative Sentiment: Massachusetts filed a lawsuit against a UnitedHealth insurance unit, alleging more than $100 million in Medicaid fraud tied to inflated illness severity claims. The lawsuit adds legal and reputational risk for UNH. Investing.com article

UnitedHealth Group Stock Down 0.7%

NYSE:UNH opened at $379.70 on Friday. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $336.85 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $321.55. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 52-week low of $234.60 and a 52-week 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 company has a market cap of $344.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.68, a P/E/G ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 0.64.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 21st. The healthcare conglomerate reported $7.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $109.84 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $7.20 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 18.250- EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 18.29 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UNH has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $361.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $375.00 to $395.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $444.00 to $492.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Truist Financial restated a "buy" rating and set a $395.00 price target (up from $370.00) on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $370.00 to $397.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. One investment 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 assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $397.63.

Insider Buying and Selling at UnitedHealth Group

In other news, CEO Patrick Hugh Conway sold 800 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the chief executive officer owned 17,805 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,320,775. This represents a 4.30% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.28% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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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