HighPoint Advisor Group LLC Decreases Stake in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH

Key Points

• HighPoint Advisor Group reduced its UnitedHealth Group stake by 9.2% in the fourth quarter, selling 2,898 shares and leaving it with 28,668 shares valued at about $9.46 million.
• Despite that sale, institutional interest in UNH remains strong, with hedge funds and other institutions owning 87.86% of the stock and several firms recently boosting their positions significantly.
• Analysts remain broadly positive on UnitedHealth Group, with multiple firms raising price targets; the consensus rating is Moderate Buy with an average target price of $378.88.

HighPoint Advisor Group LLC lowered its position in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 9.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 28,668 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after selling 2,898 shares during the quarter. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC's holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $9,463,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UNH. Capital Research Global Investors lifted its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 126.9% in the third quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 13,042,049 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $4,503,419,000 after acquiring an additional 7,293,009 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors raised its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 18.8% during the third quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 21,766,922 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $7,516,107,000 after purchasing an additional 3,439,182 shares in the last quarter. Capital International Investors raised its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 11.1% during the third quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 17,499,949 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $6,042,710,000 after purchasing an additional 1,747,337 shares in the last quarter. Lone Pine Capital LLC acquired a new stake in UnitedHealth Group during the second quarter worth approximately $528,273,000. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. raised its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 152.3% during the third quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 1,823,871 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $629,783,000 after purchasing an additional 1,100,850 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.86% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have weighed in on UNH shares. Truist Financial reissued a "buy" rating and set a $395.00 price objective (up from $370.00) on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $340.00 to $373.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $370.00 to $397.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Erste Group Bank upgraded shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Finally, Argus upgraded shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $400.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have given a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, UnitedHealth Group has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $378.88.

UnitedHealth Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE UNH opened at $384.40 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.80. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $308.40 and a 200 day moving average price of $317.22. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 1-year low of $234.60 and a 1-year high of $387.21. The company has a market cap of $349.09 billion, a PE ratio of 29.03, a P/E/G ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 0.64.

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 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $109.84 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $7.20 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 18.250- EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 18.29 EPS for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 9th were given a $2.21 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 9th. This represents a $8.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.3%. UnitedHealth Group's dividend payout ratio is presently 66.77%.

Insider Transactions at UnitedHealth Group

In other UnitedHealth Group 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 17,805 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,320,775. This represents a 4.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.28% of the company's stock.

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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