Smith Salley Wealth Management Purchases 3,760 Shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH

Key Points

• Smith Salley Wealth Management boosted its stake in UnitedHealth Group (UNH) by 29.2% in Q4, adding 3,760 shares to hold 16,633 shares worth about $5.49 million according to its latest 13F filing.
• Market context is mixed but cautiously positive: analysts say a stronger-than-feared Medicare Advantage 2027 rate could add roughly $1B of operating profit and support margin recovery, UNH beat Q4 EPS ($2.11 vs. $2.09) with revenue up 12.3%, and the consensus rating is a Moderate Buy with a $363.42 price target ahead of an important upcoming earnings release.

Smith Salley Wealth Management increased its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 29.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 16,633 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after acquiring an additional 3,760 shares during the quarter. Smith Salley Wealth Management's holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $5,491,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in UNH. Beacon Financial Strategies CORP acquired a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 69.4% in the third quarter. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC now owns 83 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the period. 1248 Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the third quarter worth about $29,000. Holos Integrated Wealth LLC acquired a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, Hurley Capital LLC lifted its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 81.6% during the 3rd quarter. Hurley Capital LLC now owns 89 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares during the period. 87.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key UnitedHealth Group News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and bulls point to a better-than-feared Medicare Advantage outlook — the final 2027 CMS MA rate (reported at ~2.48% in coverage) is seen as adding roughly $1B of incremental operating profit and supporting a margin recovery that could re-rate the stock. Buy Before Earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Technical/bull commentary suggests UNH is set to challenge resistance around $360, which can attract momentum traders ahead of earnings. Poised To Challenge $360
• Neutral Sentiment: Market positioning ahead of Tuesday’s pre-market Q1 release: traders are pricing a meaningful post-earnings move and the possibility UNH returns to YTD gains if results beat expectations. Expected Move After Earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: Multiple earnings previews (Yahoo Finance, Zacks) flag mixed Q1 signals: rising costs and modest membership headwinds could pressure margins, but services revenue growth and steady insurance operating income may allow an earnings beat — a classic near-term uncertainty around the print. Is It Time To Reassess?
• Neutral Sentiment: UnitedHealthcare’s community program backing a housing fund is positive for ESG/community reputation but likely immaterial to near-term valuation. Seabury Housing Stabilization Fund
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory risk persists: the government’s delay of a MA payment overhaul “postpones the pain” but keeps uncertainty around future MA profitability and valuation — commentary warns investors betting on a swift return to rich margins may be disappointed. A UnitedHealth Reckoning Still Looms

UnitedHealth Group Price Performance

Shares of UnitedHealth Group stock opened at $324.08 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $294.16 billion, a PE ratio of 24.57, a P/E/G ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 0.40. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $286.84 and a 200 day moving average price of $317.15. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a twelve month low of $234.60 and a twelve month high of $453.50.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 27th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $2.11 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.09 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $113.73 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $113.38 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 14.79% and a net margin of 2.69%.UnitedHealth Group's quarterly revenue was up 12.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $6.81 earnings per share. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.750- EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 9th were issued a dividend of $2.21 per share. This represents a $8.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 9th. UnitedHealth Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 67.02%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently issued reports on UNH shares. Weiss Ratings cut shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Evercore upgraded UnitedHealth Group to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Truist Financial lowered their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $410.00 to $370.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $405.00 to $411.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. Finally, UBS Group dropped their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $430.00 to $410.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have given a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, UnitedHealth Group presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $363.42.

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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