Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC Acquires 2,741 Shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH

Key Points

• Sequoia Financial Advisors increased its UnitedHealth Group stake by 5.1% in the second quarter, purchasing 2,741 shares and bringing its holdings to 56,842 shares valued at approximately $23.6 million.
• Analysts maintain a generally positive outlook, with UNH receiving a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $456.56, compared with its reported opening price of $393.11.
• UnitedHealth exceeded quarterly earnings expectations, reporting $6.38 in EPS versus the $4.94 consensus estimate, and declared a quarterly dividend of $2.32 per share, representing a 2.4% annualized yield.

Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC raised its stake in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 5.1% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 56,842 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after purchasing an additional 2,741 shares during the quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC's holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $23,625,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. California State Teachers Retirement System boosted its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 41,749.2% during the 2nd quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 567,446,754 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $235,847,894,000 after acquiring an additional 566,090,823 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the fourth quarter valued at about $4,376,167,000. Corient Private Wealth LP bought a new stake in UnitedHealth Group in the 2nd quarter worth about $245,516,000. Legal & General Group Plc purchased a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $2,444,928,000. Finally, Jupiter Topco LLC purchased a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the second quarter valued at approximately $2,019,844,000. 87.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UNH has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. HSBC upped their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $300.00 to $380.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, July 6th. TD Cowen increased their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $337.00 to $430.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $397.00 to $485.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Finally, Leerink Partners upped their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $400.00 to $462.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 17th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have given a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $456.56.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Performance

NYSE UNH opened at $393.11 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $352.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a quick ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The company's 50 day moving average is $410.24 and its 200-day moving average is $366.95. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 12-month low of $255.96 and a 12-month high of $461.62.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 16th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.38 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $4.94 by $1.44. The business had revenue of $112.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $110.81 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 3.14% and a return on equity of 16.53%. UnitedHealth Group's revenue was up .4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $4.08 EPS. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 19.500-20.000 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 19.82 earnings per share for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 22nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 14th will be given a dividend of $2.32 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 14th. This represents a $9.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. UnitedHealth Group's dividend payout ratio is currently 59.72%.

Key UnitedHealth Group News

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

• Positive Sentiment: UnitedHealth is investing nearly $1.5 billion in artificial intelligence to expand Optum Insight’s software capabilities, improve operating efficiency and create new growth opportunities. Can UnitedHealth's AI Strategy Strengthen Optum Insight's Growth?
• Positive Sentiment: Jim Cramer characterized UnitedHealth’s latest quarter as very strong and argued that the company continues to have profitable growth and a strong competitive position. Analysts tracked by Quiver Quantitative also have a median price target of $434.50, above the recent trading level. Jim Cramer Discusses UnitedHealth’s Profitable Growth
• Neutral Sentiment: UnitedHealth’s partial sale of its Florida WellMed primary-care clinic network to TPG brings in strategic capital while allowing UNH to retain an equity interest. Management was also expected to reaffirm its full-year earnings guidance, but investors are looking for evidence that the Optum turnaround is sustainable. UnitedHealth Sells WellMed to TPG
• Negative Sentiment: The TPG transaction raised concerns because the Florida WellMed operations have been associated with Optum Health’s recent profit problems. Investors questioned whether the deal signals a weaker outlook for the assets or reflects a need for outside capital during the turnaround. UnitedHealth Slips as TPG Buys Into Florida WellMed Clinics
• Negative Sentiment: Comments from CVS Health about continued high medical-cost growth pressured managed-care stocks, including UNH. UnitedHealth also continues to face commercial-insurance margin pressure, while parts of the Optum recovery remain incomplete. CVS Still Sees High-Trend Cost Growth
• Negative Sentiment: UnitedHealth trades at a substantial valuation premium to some managed-care peers despite having slower revenue growth, increasing sensitivity to disappointing guidance or execution. Broader healthcare-sector weakness added to the selling pressure. Why Is UNH Stock Trading at a Premium?

Insider Activity at UnitedHealth Group

In related news, CEO Patrick Conway sold 1,169 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $390.00, for a total transaction of $455,910.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 15,328 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,977,920. The trade was a 7.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.19% of the company's stock.

About UnitedHealth Group

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated is a diversified health care and well-being company headquartered in Minnetonka, Minnesota. Its operations are organized primarily through two businesses: UnitedHealthcare, which provides health benefit plans and services, and Optum, which delivers health care services, technology, pharmacy care and data-driven solutions.

UnitedHealthcare serves individuals, employers, government programs and other organizations through products that include employer-sponsored health plans, individual and family coverage, Medicare and Medicaid plans, dental and vision benefits, and related administrative services.

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