Employees Retirement System of Texas Boosts Stake in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH

Key Points

• Employees Retirement System of Texas increased its UnitedHealth Group stake by 5.1% in the fourth quarter, buying 14,419 additional shares and bringing its total position to 299,560 shares worth about $98.9 million.
• Institutional ownership remains high, with hedge funds and other investors actively adjusting positions and institutions controlling 87.86% of UnitedHealth’s shares.
• Analysts remain broadly positive on UNH: the stock carries a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating with an average target price of $390, even as some firms recently upgraded or raised targets and the CEO disclosed a share sale.

Employees Retirement System of Texas increased its position in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 5.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 299,560 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after purchasing an additional 14,419 shares during the quarter. UnitedHealth Group makes up about 0.8% of Employees Retirement System of Texas' investment portfolio, making the stock its 28th largest holding. Employees Retirement System of Texas' holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $98,888,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Guerra Advisors Inc bought a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the 3rd quarter worth about $1,059,000. Money Concepts Capital Corp increased its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 59.1% during the 3rd quarter. Money Concepts Capital Corp now owns 12,380 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $4,275,000 after purchasing an additional 4,600 shares in the last quarter. Phoenix Financial Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 111.5% in the third quarter. Phoenix Financial Ltd. now owns 41,986 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $14,282,000 after buying an additional 22,137 shares in the last quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board increased its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 43.1% during the third quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 287,132 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $99,147,000 after acquiring an additional 86,432 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Compass Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $13,691,000. Institutional investors own 87.86% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UNH has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Raymond James Financial raised UnitedHealth Group from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $330.00 price target on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. TD Cowen boosted their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $311.00 to $337.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $375.00 to $395.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, HSBC raised shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "reduce" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $300.00 target price for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have issued a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $390.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Patrick Hugh Conway sold 800 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 trade 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 available through this hyperlink. 0.28% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

UnitedHealth Group Price Performance

NYSE UNH opened at $377.48 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The firm has a market capitalization of $342.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.51, a PEG ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 0.64. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $331.06 and a 200-day moving average price of $320.29. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 52 week low of $234.60 and a 52 week high of $404.15.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last announced its 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. The business had revenue of $111.65 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $109.84 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 2.68% and a return on equity of 14.65%. The firm's revenue was up 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $7.20 earnings per share. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 18.250- EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 18.29 earnings per share for the current year.

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.

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