Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. Cuts Position in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH

Key Points

• Nomura Asset Management reduced its UnitedHealth Group stake by 2.4% in the fourth quarter, though it still held 504,483 shares valued at about $166.5 million.
• Several other institutional investors also adjusted positions in UNH, and the stock remains heavily held by institutions with 87.86% ownership.
• Analyst sentiment has improved, with multiple firms raising targets or upgrading the stock; MarketBeat shows a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $397.63.

Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. trimmed its position in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 2.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 504,483 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after selling 12,501 shares during the quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. owned 0.06% of UnitedHealth Group worth $166,535,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. PARUS FINANCE UK Ltd raised its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 15.9% in the 4th quarter. PARUS FINANCE UK Ltd now owns 28,110 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $9,279,000 after purchasing an additional 3,850 shares during the period. Verity & Verity LLC purchased a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,065,000. Texas Yale Capital Corp. raised its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 78.6% during the 4th quarter. Texas Yale Capital Corp. now owns 6,200 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $2,047,000 after buying an additional 2,728 shares during the period. Impact Partnership Wealth LLC raised its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 15.9% during the 4th quarter. Impact Partnership Wealth LLC now owns 2,525 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $834,000 after buying an additional 347 shares during the period. Finally, Koss Olinger Consulting LLC raised its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 5.3% during the 4th quarter. Koss Olinger Consulting LLC now owns 1,032 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $341,000 after buying an additional 52 shares during the period. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at UnitedHealth Group

In related news, CEO Patrick Hugh Conway sold 800 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 17,805 shares in the company, valued at $6,320,775. The trade was a 4.30% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.28% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Weiss Ratings upgraded UnitedHealth Group from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. HSBC upgraded UnitedHealth Group from a "reduce" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $300.00 target price on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $444.00 to $492.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $375.00 to $395.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, Argus upgraded UnitedHealth Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $400.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have assigned a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, UnitedHealth Group has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $397.63.

UnitedHealth Group Price Performance

Shares of UNH opened at $379.70 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $344.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.68, a PEG ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 0.64. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $336.85 and a 200-day moving average of $321.55. 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 52 week low of $234.60 and a 52 week high of $404.15.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last issued 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 company had revenue of $111.65 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $109.84 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 14.65% and a net margin of 2.68%.The business's revenue was up 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $7.20 EPS. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 18.250- EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 18.29 EPS for the current year.

Key UnitedHealth Group News

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

• Positive Sentiment: UnitedHealthcare said it will eliminate prior authorization requirements for nearly two-thirds of pediatric services by year-end. That could reduce administrative friction, improve patient/provider relations, and support customer satisfaction. Reuters article
• Positive Sentiment: Bernstein raised its price target on UNH to $492 from $444 and kept an Outperform rating, citing an EPS recovery outlook. Higher price targets from analysts can help reinforce investor confidence. Yahoo Finance article
• Neutral Sentiment: Berkshire Hathaway fully exited its UNH stake, which is drawing attention to valuation and regulatory risks. While not necessarily a fundamental change, the sale may weigh on sentiment around the stock. Yahoo Finance article
• Negative Sentiment: Massachusetts filed a lawsuit against a UnitedHealth insurance unit, alleging more than $100 million in Medicaid fraud tied to inflated illness severity claims. The lawsuit adds legal and reputational risk for UNH. Investing.com 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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.