Maryland State Retirement & Pension System Makes New Investment in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH

Key Points

• Maryland State Retirement & Pension System opened a new UnitedHealth Group position, buying 55,159 shares valued at approximately $20.25 million in the third quarter. Institutional investors collectively own 87.86% of the company’s shares.
• UnitedHealth reported quarterly EPS of $4.69, beating the $4.14 consensus, and revenue of $112.72 billion, above estimates but down 0.4% year over year. The company declared a quarterly dividend of $2.32 per share, equivalent to a 2.3% yield.
• Analysts’ average rating is “Moderate Buy,” with an average price target of $463.93; the stock was reported at $403.14. Twenty analysts rate it Buy and eight rate it Hold.

Maryland State Retirement & Pension System bought a new position in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 55,159 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock, valued at approximately $20,248,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Machina Capital S.A.S. purchased a new stake in UnitedHealth Group during the third quarter worth $7,497,000. DSG Capital Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. DSG Capital Advisors LLC now owns 62,565 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $22,966,000 after acquiring an additional 568 shares during the period. Silver Grove Financial Group Inc. raised its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 5.7% in the 3rd quarter. Silver Grove Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,165 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $428,000 after acquiring an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund lifted its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 7.8% during the 3rd quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 61,044 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $22,408,000 after purchasing an additional 4,395 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bahl & Gaynor LLC boosted its position in UnitedHealth Group by 3.9% during the third quarter. Bahl & Gaynor LLC now owns 1,187,519 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $435,915,000 after purchasing an additional 44,364 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.86% of the company's stock.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Down 0.5%

UnitedHealth Group stock opened at $403.14 on Thursday. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $391.12 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $364.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a current ratio of 0.74. The company has a market cap of $361.22 billion, a PE ratio of 23.02, a PEG ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 0.51. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $255.96 and a fifty-two week high of $461.62.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 13th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $4.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.14 by $0.55. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 17.95% and a net margin of 3.53%. The firm had revenue of $112.72 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $111.31 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.59 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was down .4% compared to the same quarter last year. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 20.500- EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 20.61 EPS for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 7th will be given a dividend of $2.32 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 7th. This represents a $9.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.3%. UnitedHealth Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 53.00%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Patrick Conway sold 1,169 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, August 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $390.00, for a total value of $455,910.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 15,328 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,977,920. This represents a 7.09% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.19% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UNH has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Argus raised their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $400.00 to $470.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, July 20th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $401.00 to $490.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, July 17th. UBS Group restated an "outperform" rating on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Tuesday, October 13th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $478.00 to $498.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 20th. Finally, Leerink Partners upped their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $462.00 to $472.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Twenty analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, UnitedHealth Group has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $463.93.

About UnitedHealth Group

UnitedHealth Group is a diversified health care company that provides health benefits and health services through two main businesses: UnitedHealthcare and Optum. UnitedHealthcare offers health insurance and related benefit plans to individuals, employers and government programs, including Medicare and Medicaid. Optum provides services across the health care system, including care delivery, pharmacy services, pharmacy benefit management, health technology and data analytics. Its businesses serve consumers, health care providers, employers, health plans and government organizations.

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