Lockheed Martin Investment Management Co. Increases Stake in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH

Key Points

• Lockheed Martin Investment Management boosted its UnitedHealth Group stake by 12% in the fourth quarter, bringing its holding to 29,750 shares worth about $9.82 million.
• UnitedHealth reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $7.23 beating estimates and revenue of $111.65 billion topping expectations, while the company also reaffirmed a full-year EPS outlook around 18.25.
• Wall Street sentiment remains generally positive: analysts have a Moderate Buy consensus and a price target of about $378.88, though some recent trading saw the stock down 1.4% and CEO Patrick Conway sold a small block of shares.

Lockheed Martin Investment Management Co. increased its position in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 12.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 29,750 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after acquiring an additional 3,180 shares during the quarter. Lockheed Martin Investment Management Co.'s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $9,821,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Guerra Advisors Inc purchased a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,059,000. Phoenix Financial Ltd. increased its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 111.5% during the third quarter. Phoenix Financial Ltd. now owns 41,986 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $14,282,000 after buying an additional 22,137 shares during the period. Money Concepts Capital Corp increased its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 59.1% during the third quarter. Money Concepts Capital Corp now owns 12,380 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $4,275,000 after buying an additional 4,600 shares during the period. Public Sector Pension Investment Board increased its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 43.1% during the third quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 287,132 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $99,147,000 after buying an additional 86,432 shares during the period. Finally, Compass Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the third quarter valued at approximately $13,691,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.86% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently issued reports on UNH. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $278.00 to $287.00 and gave the company an "underperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Erste Group Bank upgraded UnitedHealth Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $361.00 to $400.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $340.00 to $373.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Finally, Piper Sandler restated an "overweight" rating on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $378.88.

UnitedHealth Group Trading Down 1.4%

UnitedHealth Group stock opened at $393.65 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $316.82 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $318.53. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 12 month low of $234.60 and a 12 month high of $404.15. The company has a market capitalization of $357.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 0.64.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The healthcare conglomerate reported $7.23 EPS 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 business had revenue of $111.65 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $109.84 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $7.20 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 18.250- EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 18.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 9th were issued a $2.21 dividend. This represents a $8.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 9th. UnitedHealth Group's payout ratio is 66.77%.

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 $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 available through the SEC website. 0.28% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Trending Headlines about UnitedHealth Group

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

• Positive Sentiment: Erste Group Bank slightly raised its earnings estimates for UnitedHealth and kept a Buy rating, reinforcing the view that the company’s profit outlook remains solid. MarketBeat UNH report
• Positive Sentiment: Recent commentary remains upbeat after UnitedHealth’s strong first-quarter results, with analysts and market watchers pointing to a substantial rebound since March lows and improved investor confidence in the stock’s longer-term earnings power. Seeking Alpha article
• Neutral Sentiment: The broader market tone was positive, with major indexes closing higher and hitting new highs, which may have helped sentiment across large-cap healthcare stocks.
• Negative Sentiment: Berkshire Hathaway disclosed that it sold several smaller holdings, including UnitedHealth, which may raise concerns that a high-profile investor is reducing exposure to the stock. Reuters article

About UnitedHealth Group

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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