Principal Financial Group Inc. Boosts Stake in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH

Key Points

• Principal Financial Group increased its UnitedHealth Group stake by 3.3% in the second quarter, adding 45,443 shares to hold 1.40 million shares valued at approximately $583.9 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 87.86% of the company.
• Wall Street maintains a positive outlook, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $455.92. Recent target increases included Barclays at $441 and Truist Financial at $480.
• UnitedHealth exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting EPS of $6.38 versus the $4.94 consensus and revenue of $112.03 billion. The company also announced a quarterly dividend of $2.32 per share, equivalent to a 2.3% yield.

Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 3.3% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,404,760 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after acquiring an additional 45,443 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned 0.15% of UnitedHealth Group worth $583,861,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Sarver Vrooman Wealth Advisors purchased a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Anfield Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in 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 buying an additional 55 shares during the period. Joseph Group Capital Management acquired a new stake in UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Nalls Sherbakoff Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Finally, Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. purchased a new stake in UnitedHealth Group in the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. 87.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently commented on UNH. Weiss Ratings lowered UnitedHealth Group from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. Barclays increased their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $429.00 to $441.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, July 20th. BMO Capital Markets set a $512.00 price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. Truist Financial increased their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $440.00 to $480.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded UnitedHealth Group from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have assigned a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $455.92.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Performance

NYSE:UNH opened at $401.52 on Monday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $415.74 and a two-hundred day moving average of $352.85. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $255.96 and a fifty-two week high of $461.62. The stock has a market capitalization of $360.40 billion, a PE ratio of 25.84, a P/E/G ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a current ratio of 0.78.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 16th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.38 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.94 by $1.44. The business had revenue of $112.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $110.81 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 3.14% and a return on equity of 16.53%. The company's quarterly revenue was up .4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $4.08 earnings per share. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 19.500-20.000 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 19.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 22nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 14th will be given a $2.32 dividend. This represents a $9.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 14th. UnitedHealth Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 59.72%.

Insider Activity at UnitedHealth Group

In related news, CEO Patrick Hugh Conway sold 500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $410.00, for a total transaction of $205,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 16,497 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,763,770. The trade was a 2.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.19% of the company's stock.

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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