First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. Lowers Stock Holdings in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH

Key Points

• First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. cut its UnitedHealth Group stake by 51.4% in the first quarter, selling 17,668 shares and ending with 16,674 shares valued at about $4.51 million.
• UnitedHealth reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $6.38 beating estimates and revenue of $112.03 billion topping expectations. The company also raised its FY2026 guidance to 19.5–20.0 EPS.
• Sentiment remains broadly positive: the stock has received multiple analyst target increases, and UnitedHealth recently boosted its quarterly dividend to $2.32 per share from $2.21.

First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. lessened its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 51.4% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 16,674 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after selling 17,668 shares during the quarter. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co.'s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $4,512,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UNH. Founders Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 3.0% during the 4th quarter. Founders Capital Management LLC now owns 982 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $324,000 after acquiring an additional 29 shares during the last quarter. Kellett Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Kellett Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,746 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $576,000 after purchasing an additional 29 shares during the period. Successful Portfolios LLC raised its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. Successful Portfolios LLC now owns 1,194 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $411,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares during the period. Bell Investment Advisors Inc grew its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 14.4% during the 1st quarter. Bell Investment Advisors Inc now owns 246 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $67,000 after buying an additional 31 shares during the period. Finally, McLean Asset Management Corp raised its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. McLean Asset Management Corp now owns 2,000 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $670,000 after buying an additional 32 shares during the period. 87.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other UnitedHealth Group news, CEO Patrick Hugh Conway sold 800 shares of UnitedHealth Group stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 17,805 shares in the company, valued at $6,320,775. The trade was a 4.30% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.19% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

UnitedHealth Group Trading Up 3.5%

UNH opened at $436.19 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $396.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.07, a P/E/G ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 0.62. The firm's 50 day moving average is $406.35 and its 200-day moving average is $343.75. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 52-week low of $234.60 and a 52-week high of $461.62.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 16th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.38 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $4.94 by $1.44. The business had revenue of $112.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $110.81 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 3.14% and a return on equity of 16.53%. The business's revenue was up .4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $4.08 EPS. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 19.500-20.000 EPS. Analysts expect that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 19.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 23rd. Investors of record on Monday, June 15th were issued a $2.32 dividend. This is an increase from UnitedHealth Group's previous quarterly dividend of $2.21. This represents a $9.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 15th. UnitedHealth Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 59.72%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UNH has been the topic of a number of research reports. Barclays raised their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $429.00 to $441.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday. Argus upgraded shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $400.00 price target on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. HSBC boosted their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $300.00 to $380.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, July 6th. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $460.00 to $490.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, July 17th. Finally, Piper Sandler set a $477.00 price target on UnitedHealth Group in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have given a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, UnitedHealth Group has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $455.92.

Trending Headlines about UnitedHealth Group

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

• Positive Sentiment: UnitedHealth was upgraded to Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), signaling improving earnings expectations and adding to bullish sentiment around the stock. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan raised its price target on UNH to $516 and reiterated an Overweight rating, reinforcing the view that the stock still has meaningful upside after its recent rally. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Several articles highlighted UnitedHealth’s strong Q2 performance, including better-than-expected earnings, raised guidance, and a larger share buyback authorization, all of which support the bullish case. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Reports framed UNH as a defensive healthcare leader benefiting from market rotation away from AI stocks, with analysts also calling it a strong momentum name and a stable dividend pick. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: The House passed a bill focused on provider accountability and fraud prevention in federal health programs; the article noted UNH could be affected by tighter oversight, but the near-term stock impact is unclear. Article Title

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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