New York State Teachers Retirement System Cuts Holdings in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH

Key Points

• New York State Teachers Retirement System trimmed its UnitedHealth stake by 0.8% in the first quarter, selling 5,447 shares and ending with 718,043 shares worth about $194.3 million.
• UnitedHealth continues to draw strong analyst support, with several firms raising price targets and the stock carrying a Moderate Buy consensus rating and average target of $411.42.
• The company recently beat earnings expectations, posted quarterly revenue of $111.65 billion, and raised its dividend to $2.32 per share quarterly, signaling solid operating performance and shareholder returns.

New York State Teachers Retirement System trimmed its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 0.8% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 718,043 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after selling 5,447 shares during the period. New York State Teachers Retirement System owned approximately 0.08% of UnitedHealth Group worth $194,295,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

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

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 shares were sold at an average price of $355.00, for a total transaction of $284,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 17,805 shares in the company, valued at $6,320,775. This trade represents a 4.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.28% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on UNH shares. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $453.00 to $468.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $340.00 to $373.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Argus raised shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $400.00 target price for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, Erste Group Bank raised shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, April 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have given a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $411.42.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Down 0.4%

NYSE UNH opened at $424.64 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. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 12 month low of $234.60 and a 12 month high of $430.20. The stock's 50 day moving average is $391.45 and its 200 day moving average is $335.01. The stock has a market cap of $385.63 billion, a PE ratio of 32.07, a P/E/G ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 0.62.

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. The firm had revenue of $111.65 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $109.84 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 2.68% and a return on equity of 14.65%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $7.20 earnings per share. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 18.250- EPS. Research analysts predict that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 18.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Increases Dividend

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

Key Headlines Impacting UnitedHealth Group

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

• Positive Sentiment: UnitedHealth was highlighted in an article arguing that its turnaround is continuing into the upcoming Q2 report, which suggests investors are looking for improving fundamentals and potential upside if execution stays on track. UnitedHealth Group: The Turnaround Continues Into The Q2 Report
• Positive Sentiment: Guardant Health said UnitedHealth will begin covering its Shield blood test for colorectal cancer screening on August 1, a move that may reinforce UNH’s reputation for supporting preventive care and could be viewed favorably by investors. UnitedHealth Group Now Covers Guardant Health’s Shield Blood Test for Colorectal Cancer Screening
• Neutral Sentiment: Several articles focused on UNH being “attracting investor attention” and on its Q1 earnings relative to peers, but these pieces were mostly informational rather than new catalysts, so they likely contributed to trading interest more than a decisive price move. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (UNH) is Attracting Investor Attention: Here is What You Should Know Q1 Earnings Highs And Lows: UnitedHealth NYSE: UNH Vs The Rest Of The Health Insurance Providers Stocks
• Negative Sentiment: One piece warned that UnitedHealth faces a “Medicare reset,” which points to potential pressure on the company’s Medicare Advantage economics and could weigh on sentiment if reimbursement or margin assumptions soften. UnitedHealth Group NYSE: UNH Faces Medicare Reset

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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