Simplify Asset Management Inc. Sells 96,906 Shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH

Key Points

• Simplify Asset Management sharply cut its UnitedHealth position by 97.1% in the first quarter, selling 96,906 shares and leaving it with 2,901 shares worth about $785,000.
• Despite that sale, institutional ownership remains very high, with about 87.86% of UnitedHealth shares held by institutions and hedge funds. Several large firms, including Vanguard and State Street, also reported sizable holdings.
• Analysts remain mostly bullish on UNH: recent price target hikes from UBS and Morgan Stanley helped keep the consensus at Moderate Buy, with an average target price of about $411.42. The stock also recently beat quarterly earnings expectations and increased its dividend to $2.32 per share.

Simplify Asset Management Inc. lessened its holdings in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 97.1% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,901 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after selling 96,906 shares during the period. Simplify Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $785,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in UnitedHealth Group by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 91,600,260 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $30,238,162,000 after purchasing an additional 995,210 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 45,232,170 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $14,931,592,000 after buying an additional 1,119,834 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors increased its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 3.8% during the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 22,591,042 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $7,457,723,000 after buying an additional 824,120 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 3.7% during the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 18,829,054 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $6,215,660,000 after acquiring an additional 680,077 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capital International Investors increased its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 6.6% in the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 18,655,111 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $6,158,734,000 after purchasing an additional 1,155,162 shares in the last quarter. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Trending Headlines about UnitedHealth Group

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

• Positive Sentiment: UnitedHealth began covering Guardant Health’s Shield blood test for colorectal cancer screening for eligible members, making it the first major commercial insurer to back the test for adults 45 and older. That could strengthen UnitedHealth’s preventative-care offering and support its long-term growth image. UnitedHealth Group Now Covers Guardant Health’s Shield Blood Test for Colorectal Cancer Screening
• Positive Sentiment: Several recent articles highlight UnitedHealth as an “attracting investor attention” name and a potential turnaround candidate heading into its next earnings report, which can keep sentiment elevated if investors expect operational improvement. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (UNH) is Attracting Investor Attention: Here is What You Should Know
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts and commentary pieces say UnitedHealth’s valuation still looks “reasonable” despite a strong one-year gain, suggesting the stock is being judged on whether future growth can justify the run-up rather than on any fresh operational surprise. UnitedHealth (UNH) Stock Looks Reasonable Even After A 42% Gain
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader healthcare-stock roundup articles and Q1 peer-comparison coverage do not point to a company-specific catalyst for UnitedHealth, but they keep UNH in focus as investors rotate within managed care and healthcare providers. Q1 Earnings Highs And Lows: UnitedHealth NYSE: UNH Vs The Rest Of The Health Insurance Providers Stocks
• Negative Sentiment: One article flagged a “Medicare reset” for UnitedHealth, which may reflect ongoing pressure or uncertainty around reimbursement and government-program exposure—an area investors tend to watch closely for margin risk. UnitedHealth Group NYSE: UNH Faces Medicare Reset

Insider Transactions at UnitedHealth Group

In other UnitedHealth Group news, CEO Patrick Hugh Conway sold 800 shares of UnitedHealth Group stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $355.00, for a total value of $284,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 17,805 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,320,775. The trade was a 4.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.28% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently issued reports on UNH. UBS Group upped their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $410.00 to $460.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Erste Group Bank upgraded shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an "overweight" rating on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Thursday, June 11th. Argus upgraded UnitedHealth Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $400.00 target price for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $453.00 to $468.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have given a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $411.42.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Performance

Shares of UnitedHealth Group stock opened at $424.64 on Friday. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 52 week low of $234.60 and a 52 week high of $430.20. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $392.87 and a 200-day moving average price of $335.64. The company has a market cap of $385.63 billion, a PE ratio of 32.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 0.62.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The healthcare conglomerate reported $7.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.76 by $0.47. The business had revenue of $111.65 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 quarter in the prior year, the company posted $7.20 earnings per share. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 18.250- EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 18.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 23rd. Investors of record on Monday, June 15th were issued a $2.32 dividend. This is an increase from UnitedHealth Group's previous quarterly dividend of $2.21. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 15th. This represents a $9.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. UnitedHealth Group's payout ratio is presently 70.09%.

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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