Jennison Associates LLC Raises Position in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH

Key Points

• Jennison Associates LLC increased its UnitedHealth Group stake by 58.3% in the first quarter, adding 242,456 shares and bringing its holdings to 658,056 shares worth about $178.1 million.
• UnitedHealth posted a strong second quarter, beating earnings and revenue estimates and raising its 2026 profit outlook, with management also doubling the 2026 share repurchase target to at least $5 billion.
• Wall Street sentiment has improved, with several firms lifting price targets after the results; analysts now rate UNH a Moderate Buy with a consensus target of $447.29.

Jennison Associates LLC boosted its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 58.3% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 658,056 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after buying an additional 242,456 shares during the period. Jennison Associates LLC owned 0.07% of UnitedHealth Group worth $178,063,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in UNH. Nordea Investment Management AB increased its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 4.2% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 91,496 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $30,287,000 after purchasing an additional 3,720 shares during the last quarter. 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 valued at $49,772,000 after buying an additional 3,934 shares in the last quarter. Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. raised its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 1,287.2% during the 1st quarter. Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. now owns 60,022 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $16,241,000 after acquiring an additional 55,695 shares during the period. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG grew its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 127.6% in the fourth quarter. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG now owns 34,947 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $11,536,000 after purchasing an additional 19,591 shares during the period. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 91,600,260 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $30,238,162,000 after purchasing an additional 995,210 shares during the period. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

More UnitedHealth Group News

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

• Positive Sentiment: UnitedHealth beat Q2 estimates on earnings and revenue, driven by improved margins and lower medical costs, and raised its 2026 profit outlook. UnitedHealth shares surge on strong earnings beat and guidance
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley, Oppenheimer, UBS, RBC, and other firms lifted price targets after the results, signaling stronger Street confidence in the stock’s recovery. Analyst price target updates
• Positive Sentiment: Management doubled the 2026 share repurchase target to at least $5 billion, which may help support EPS and investor returns. What’s Fueling UNH Stock’s Rally? A Bigger Buyback, Higher Guidance – And CEO Says Turnaround Is ‘Returning To Form’
• Neutral Sentiment: Commentary around the earnings call says Medicare Advantage and Optum are improving, but commercial cost pressures could delay a full margin recovery. UnitedHealth Q2 Earnings Call Focuses on Reset and Durable Growth
• Negative Sentiment: Some analysts remain cautious, with at least one downgrade noting that the turnaround still faces execution risk despite the stronger quarter. UnitedHealth Group Q2: The Real Test Begins Now (Downgrade)

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on UNH. Piper Sandler set a $477.00 price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Thursday. Erste Group Bank raised UnitedHealth Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Bank of America upped their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $450.00 to $475.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. Truist Financial raised their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $440.00 to $480.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Finally, HSBC upped their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $300.00 to $380.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have assigned a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $447.29.

Insider Buying and Selling at UnitedHealth Group

In other news, CEO Patrick Hugh Conway sold 800 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $355.00, for a total value of $284,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 17,805 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,320,775. This trade represents a 4.30% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.28% of the company's stock.

UnitedHealth Group Trading Up 0.7%

NYSE:UNH opened at $426.39 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $404.81 and a 200 day moving average price of $342.28. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 12-month low of $234.60 and a 12-month high of $461.62. The firm has a market cap of $387.23 billion, a PE ratio of 27.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.62.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 16th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $4.94 by $1.44. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 16.53% and a net margin of 3.14%.The company had revenue of $112.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $110.81 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $4.08 EPS. UnitedHealth Group'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 anticipate that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 18.77 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 23rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th were issued a dividend of $2.32 per share. This is a boost from UnitedHealth Group's previous quarterly dividend of $2.21. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 15th. This represents a $9.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. UnitedHealth Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 70.09%.

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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