Marks Group Wealth Management Inc Reduces Stake in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH

Key Points

• Marks Group Wealth Management cut its UnitedHealth Group stake by 16.9% in the first quarter, selling 8,094 shares and leaving it with 39,870 shares worth about $10.8 million.
• UnitedHealth’s stock has drawn a bullish analyst backdrop, with firms like Truist, KeyCorp, and RBC raising price targets and Zacks upgrading the stock to strong-buy. The consensus rating is currently Moderate Buy with an average target of $429.50.
• The company recently beat quarterly earnings expectations, reporting $7.23 EPS on $111.65 billion in revenue, and it also raised its dividend to $2.32 per share from $2.21.

Marks Group Wealth Management Inc decreased its holdings in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 16.9% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 39,870 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after selling 8,094 shares during the quarter. UnitedHealth Group accounts for about 1.0% of Marks Group Wealth Management Inc's investment portfolio, making the stock its 17th largest position. Marks Group Wealth Management Inc's holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $10,788,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Sarver Vrooman Wealth Advisors purchased a new position in UnitedHealth Group during the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Beacon Financial Strategies CORP bought a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Anfield Capital Management LLC raised its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 220.0% during the 4th quarter. Anfield Capital Management LLC now owns 80 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the period. Joseph Group Capital Management purchased a new position in UnitedHealth Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Finally, Nalls Sherbakoff Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related 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 transaction of $284,000.00. Following the sale, 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.28% of the company's stock.

Trending Headlines about UnitedHealth Group

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

• Positive Sentiment: Truist raised its price target on UnitedHealth Group to $480 and maintained a buy rating, signaling confidence in further upside ahead of earnings. UnitedHealth Group NYSE: UNH Price Target Raised to $480.00 at Truist Financial
• Positive Sentiment: KeyCorp lifted its price target to $475 and kept an overweight rating, adding to the bullish analyst backdrop for UNH. UnitedHealth Group had its price target raised by KeyCorp from $400.00 to $475.00.
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research upgraded UnitedHealth to strong-buy and nudged up future EPS estimates, reinforcing expectations that the company can beat earnings again. UnitedHealth Group was upgraded by Zacks Research from hold to strong-buy.
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts have been raising earnings forecasts for UnitedHealth, and several reports argue the company has a strong chance to top Q2 expectations based on its historical surprise record and favorable earnings setup. Will UnitedHealth (UNH) Beat Estimates Again in Its Next Earnings Report?
• Neutral Sentiment: UNH is scheduled to report second-quarter results on July 16, so trading is being driven in part by positioning ahead of the earnings release. UnitedHealth Stock Forecast: Piper Sandler Analyst and Technical Indicators Point to Upside Ahead of Q2 Earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: Technical indicators and some market commentary suggest the stock may have room to move higher after earnings, but this is still contingent on the actual results and outlook. UnitedHealth Reports Earnings Thursday. Here's How Much Its Stock Is Seen Moving
• Negative Sentiment: Broader managed-care stocks sold off after Elevance Health highlighted margin pressure and weak Medicaid-spending trends, which could weigh on sentiment toward UnitedHealth ahead of its report. Why Elevance Earnings Gave Health Insurance Stocks A Cold; UNH Up Next

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Oppenheimer increased their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $385.00 to $405.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Zacks Research upgraded UnitedHealth Group from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday. Weiss Ratings upgraded UnitedHealth Group from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research note on Friday, July 10th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $400.00 to $463.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, Raymond James Financial raised shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $330.00 target price for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have assigned a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $429.50.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Performance

NYSE UNH opened at $417.33 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $378.99 billion, a PE ratio of 31.52, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.62. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 1-year low of $234.60 and a 1-year high of $434.30. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $402.80 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $341.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.80.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The healthcare conglomerate reported $7.23 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $6.76 by $0.47. The firm had revenue of $111.65 billion during 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 company's quarterly revenue was up 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $7.20 EPS. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 18.250- EPS. On average, research analysts predict that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 18.39 EPS for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Increases Dividend

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

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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