Empyrean Capital Partners LP Buys Shares of 193,000 UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH

Key Points

• Empyrean Capital Partners disclosed a new position in UnitedHealth Group, buying 193,000 shares valued at about $63.7 million. The stake represents roughly 2.2% of the fund’s holdings and its 15th-largest position.
• Institutional interest remains strong, with several other investors also increasing or initiating positions in UNH. The article notes that hedge funds and other institutions own 87.86% of the company’s shares.
• Wall Street sentiment is generally constructive: analysts currently have a Moderate Buy consensus and an average price target of $409.75. UnitedHealth also recently beat quarterly EPS and revenue estimates and raised its quarterly dividend to $2.32 per share.

Empyrean Capital Partners LP bought a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 193,000 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock, valued at approximately $63,711,000. UnitedHealth Group accounts for 2.2% of Empyrean Capital Partners LP's holdings, making the stock its 15th largest holding.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of UNH. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 176.2% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 44,249 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $22,384,000 after buying an additional 28,231 shares during the period. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 137.1% in the fourth quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 4,019 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $2,033,000 after purchasing an additional 2,324 shares during the period. CMT Capital Markets Trading GmbH purchased a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the second quarter valued at approximately $340,000. Flow Traders U.S. LLC purchased a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the second quarter valued at approximately $356,000. Finally, Jump Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the second quarter valued at approximately $377,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.86% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UNH has been the subject of a number of research reports. UBS Group boosted their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $410.00 to $460.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $278.00 to $287.00 and gave the company an "underperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Weiss Ratings raised shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Leerink Partners boosted their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $400.00 to $462.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Raymond James Financial raised shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $330.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have issued a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $409.75.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Performance

Shares of UNH stock opened at $399.33 on Thursday. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $369.93 and its 200-day simple moving average is $328.55. The company has a market cap of $362.65 billion, a PE ratio of 30.16, a PEG ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 0.64. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 12-month low of $234.60 and a 12-month high of $415.98.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The healthcare conglomerate reported $7.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $6.76 by $0.47. The business had revenue of $111.65 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $109.84 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 14.65% and a net margin of 2.68%.The business's quarterly revenue was up 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $7.20 earnings per share. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 18.250- EPS. Analysts expect that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 18.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 23rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be given a dividend of $2.32 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. This is a boost from UnitedHealth Group's previous quarterly dividend of $2.21. This represents a $9.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. UnitedHealth Group's payout ratio is currently 70.09%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Patrick Hugh Conway sold 800 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $355.00, for a total transaction of $284,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 17,805 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,320,775. This represents a 4.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.28% of the company's stock.

Key Headlines Impacting UnitedHealth Group

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

• Positive Sentiment: Leerink Partners raised its price target on UnitedHealth Group to $462 from $400 and reiterated an outperform rating, citing improved margin expectations at Optum Health and signaling confidence in the company’s recovery efforts. Leerink Raises UnitedHealth PT
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street commentary has grown more constructive on UnitedHealth’s turnaround, with analysts pointing to better long-term profitability at its Optum Health unit as a reason the stock could recover further. UnitedHealth Stock Gets a Target Price Increase
• Neutral Sentiment: Separate coverage noted that hedge funds have continued to buy UnitedHealth, suggesting institutional interest remains solid, though this is not a direct catalyst by itself. Hedge Funds Bought UnitedHealth
• Neutral Sentiment: One investor-letter item said Sustainable Growth Advisers sold its stake in UNH, but the article provided limited detail on the reason, so the stock impact is unclear. SGA Sold UnitedHealth Stake
• Negative Sentiment: Despite the bullish analyst note, UNH also traded lower than the broader market in the latest session, reflecting that investors are still cautious about the pace and durability of the turnaround. UnitedHealth Fell More Than Broader Market

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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