Empowered Funds LLC Increases Holdings in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH

Key Points

• Empowered Funds increased its UnitedHealth Group stake by 21.1% in the second quarter, adding 24,274 shares for a total holding worth approximately $58 million. Hedge funds and institutional investors collectively own 87.86% of the company.
• Analysts remain broadly positive, with UnitedHealth receiving a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $456.56; several firms recently raised targets as high as $516.
• UnitedHealth exceeded quarterly earnings expectations, reporting $6.38 in EPS and $112.03 billion in revenue, and declared a quarterly dividend of $2.32 per share, equivalent to a 2.4% annual yield.

Empowered Funds LLC raised its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 21.1% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 139,558 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after purchasing an additional 24,274 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC's holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $58,004,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. PBCay One RSC Ltd purchased a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the 1st quarter valued at about $14,343,000. Lee Johnson Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the second quarter valued at approximately $6,180,000. Vaughan David Investments LLC IL grew its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 2.7% in the 4th quarter. Vaughan David Investments LLC IL now owns 150,773 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $49,772,000 after buying an additional 3,934 shares in the last quarter. Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. increased its position in UnitedHealth Group by 1,287.2% in the 1st quarter. Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. now owns 60,022 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $16,241,000 after acquiring an additional 55,695 shares during the period. Finally, Kinsale Capital Group Inc. boosted its position in UnitedHealth Group by 13.4% during the 2nd quarter. Kinsale Capital Group Inc. now owns 38,510 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $16,006,000 after acquiring an additional 4,557 shares during the period. 87.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on UNH shares. Zacks Research upgraded shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Leerink Partners boosted their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $400.00 to $462.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 17th. DA Davidson set a $512.00 price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $463.00 to $478.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, July 17th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $466.00 to $516.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have issued a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $456.56.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Patrick Hugh Conway sold 1,169 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, August 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $390.00, for a total value of $455,910.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 15,328 shares in the company, valued at $5,977,920. This represents a 7.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.19% of the stock is owned by insiders.

UnitedHealth Group Trading Down 0.3%

Shares of NYSE UNH opened at $393.99 on Friday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $413.28 and a 200-day simple moving average of $360.11. The company has a market cap of $353.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.35, a P/E/G ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 0.62. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 12 month low of $255.96 and a 12 month high of $461.62. The company has a quick ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 16th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.94 by $1.44. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 16.53% and a net margin of 3.14%.The firm had revenue of $112.03 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $110.81 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $4.08 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up .4% compared to the same quarter last year. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 19.500-20.000 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 19.82 EPS for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 22nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 14th will be given a dividend of $2.32 per share. This represents a $9.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 14th. UnitedHealth Group's payout ratio is presently 59.72%.

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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