Principal Financial Group Inc. Sells 72,054 Shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH

Key Points

• Principal Financial Group trimmed its UnitedHealth stake by 5%, selling 72,054 shares and retaining 1,370,914 shares valued at about $452.6 million (0.15% of UNH).
• UnitedHealth beat Q1 expectations with EPS of $7.23 and revenue of $111.65 billion, and raised FY 2026 guidance to about $18.25 EPS, underpinning bullish investor reaction.
• Company catalysts include UnitedHealthcare cutting prior-authorization requirements for roughly 30% of services and deploying AI to lower costs, while analysts view UNH as a Moderate Buy with an average price target of $378.88 and institutional ownership of 87.86%.

Principal Financial Group Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 5.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,370,914 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after selling 72,054 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned 0.15% of UnitedHealth Group worth $452,553,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Capital Research Global Investors raised its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 126.9% in the 3rd quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 13,042,049 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $4,503,419,000 after acquiring an additional 7,293,009 shares in the last quarter. Capital World Investors raised its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 18.8% in the 3rd quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 21,766,922 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $7,516,107,000 after acquiring an additional 3,439,182 shares in the last quarter. Capital International Investors raised its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 11.1% in the 3rd quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 17,499,949 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $6,042,710,000 after acquiring an additional 1,747,337 shares in the last quarter. Lone Pine Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $528,273,000. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. raised its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 152.3% in the 3rd quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 1,823,871 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $629,783,000 after acquiring an additional 1,100,850 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.86% of the company's stock.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Performance

UNH stock opened at $369.91 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $335.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.64. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 1 year low of $234.60 and a 1 year high of $409.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.79. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $299.45 and its 200-day moving average price is $316.79.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The healthcare conglomerate reported $7.23 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $6.76 by $0.47. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 14.65% and a net margin of 2.68%.The company had revenue of $111.65 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $109.84 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $7.20 EPS. UnitedHealth Group's revenue for the quarter was up 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 18.250- EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 18.29 earnings per share for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 9th were issued a $2.21 dividend. This represents a $8.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 9th. UnitedHealth Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 66.77%.

UnitedHealth Group News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: UnitedHealthcare will eliminate prior-authorization requirements for roughly 30% of services, a move designed to simplify access, reduce administrative friction and improve member/provider satisfaction — a potential competitive and reputational positive for UNH. UnitedHealthcare Cuts Prior Authorization Requirements by 30%
• Positive Sentiment: UnitedHealth reported a Q1 revenue and EPS beat and issued stronger FY guidance, underscoring continued top-line scale and profit conversion that support the stock’s valuation. This was a primary driver of bullish investor reaction. How Investors Are Reacting To UnitedHealth Group (UNH) Earnings Beat, Guidance Hike and Governance Challenge
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage highlights UNH’s push to deploy AI to streamline operations and lower costs — a strategic tailwind for margins if execution continues delivering efficiency gains. Is UnitedHealth Stock a Generational Buying Opportunity?
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst and media pieces note UNH’s large-cap status, dividend and valuation trade-offs — useful framing for income and long-term investors but not immediate catalysts. How to buy a major Dow component, at a discount
• Negative Sentiment: Shareholders face a governance proposal from The Accountability Board seeking an independent chair; UNH’s management urged a vote against it — this raises oversight/governance risk that some investors view negatively. How Investors Are Reacting To UnitedHealth Group (UNH) Earnings Beat, Guidance Hike and Governance Challenge

Analysts Set New Price Targets

UNH has been the subject of several research reports. Evercore raised UnitedHealth Group to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Oppenheimer upped their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $385.00 to $405.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. UBS Group cut their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $430.00 to $410.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $405.00 to $411.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. Finally, Piper Sandler restated an "overweight" rating on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have assigned a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, UnitedHealth Group has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $378.88.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other UnitedHealth Group news, CEO Patrick Hugh Conway sold 800 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $355.00, for a total transaction of $284,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 17,805 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,320,775. This trade represents a 4.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.28% of the company's stock.

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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