Norges Bank Acquires New Position in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH

Key Points

• Norges Bank opened a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the fourth quarter, buying 13.26 million shares valued at about $4.38 billion, or roughly 1.46% of the company.
• Several other large institutional investors also increased their UNH holdings, and 87.86% of the stock is now owned by institutions and hedge funds.
• Recent updates were mixed but generally supportive: UnitedHealthcare plans to remove prior authorization for most pediatric services, analysts have raised price targets, while Berkshire Hathaway fully exited its stake and Massachusetts filed a lawsuit against a UNH insurance unit.

Norges Bank acquired a new stake in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 13,256,692 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock, valued at approximately $4,376,167,000. Norges Bank owned about 1.46% of UnitedHealth Group as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of UNH. Capital Research Global Investors boosted its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 126.9% in the third quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 13,042,049 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $4,503,419,000 after acquiring an additional 7,293,009 shares during the period. Capital World Investors boosted its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 18.8% in the third quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 21,766,922 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $7,516,107,000 after acquiring an additional 3,439,182 shares during the period. Capital International Investors boosted its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 11.1% in the third quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 17,499,949 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $6,042,710,000 after acquiring an additional 1,747,337 shares during the period. Lone Pine Capital LLC acquired a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the second quarter valued at approximately $528,273,000. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 152.3% in the third quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 1,823,871 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $629,783,000 after acquiring an additional 1,100,850 shares during the period. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at UnitedHealth Group

In other 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 completion of 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.28% of the company's stock.

UnitedHealth Group News Roundup

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UNH has been the subject of several analyst reports. Weiss Ratings upgraded UnitedHealth Group from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Leerink Partners boosted their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $345.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. HSBC upgraded UnitedHealth Group from a "reduce" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $300.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $410.00 to $460.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, Truist Financial reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $395.00 price objective (up from $370.00) on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have issued a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $397.63.

UnitedHealth Group Price Performance

NYSE:UNH opened at $379.70 on Friday. The business's 50-day moving average price is $336.85 and its 200 day moving average price is $321.55. The firm has a market cap of $344.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.68, a PEG ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.64. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 52-week low of $234.60 and a 52-week high of $404.15. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The healthcare conglomerate reported $7.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $6.76 by $0.47. The firm had revenue of $111.65 billion for 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%.UnitedHealth Group's revenue was up 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $7.20 earnings per share. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 18.250- EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 18.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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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