Spartan Wealth Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 27,514 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock, valued at approximately $7,445,000.
Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the fourth quarter worth $4,376,167,000. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 141.9% during the 4th quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,109,029 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $1,356,432,000 after acquiring an additional 2,410,128 shares during the last quarter. Cardano Risk Management B.V. increased its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 864.4% in the 4th quarter. Cardano Risk Management B.V. now owns 2,523,700 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $833,099,000 after purchasing an additional 2,262,006 shares during the last quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC lifted its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 87.5% during the fourth quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 3,916,041 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $1,294,367,000 after purchasing an additional 1,826,948 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Lone Pine Capital LLC bought a new stake in UnitedHealth Group in the second quarter valued at about $528,273,000. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
Several brokerages have recently commented on UNH. Zacks Research upgraded UnitedHealth Group from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. UBS Group raised their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $460.00 to $490.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research note on Friday, July 10th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $340.00 to $373.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 20th. Finally, Barclays increased their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $373.00 to $429.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 26th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have issued a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, UnitedHealth Group has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $447.29.
View Our Latest Analysis on UnitedHealth Group
UnitedHealth Group News Roundup
Here are the key news stories impacting UnitedHealth Group this week:
- Positive Sentiment: UnitedHealth beat Q2 estimates on earnings and revenue, driven by improved margins and lower medical costs, and raised its 2026 profit outlook. UnitedHealth shares surge on strong earnings beat and guidance
- Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley, Oppenheimer, UBS, RBC, and other firms lifted price targets after the results, signaling stronger Street confidence in the stock’s recovery. Analyst price target updates
- Positive Sentiment: Management doubled the 2026 share repurchase target to at least $5 billion, which may help support EPS and investor returns. What’s Fueling UNH Stock’s Rally? A Bigger Buyback, Higher Guidance – And CEO Says Turnaround Is ‘Returning To Form’
- Neutral Sentiment: Commentary around the earnings call says Medicare Advantage and Optum are improving, but commercial cost pressures could delay a full margin recovery. UnitedHealth Q2 Earnings Call Focuses on Reset and Durable Growth
- Negative Sentiment: Some analysts remain cautious, with at least one downgrade noting that the turnaround still faces execution risk despite the stronger quarter. UnitedHealth Group Q2: The Real Test Begins Now (Downgrade)
Insider Transactions at UnitedHealth Group
In related news, CEO Patrick Hugh Conway sold 800 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $355.00, for a total value of $284,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 17,805 shares in the company, valued at $6,320,775. This trade represents a 4.30% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.28% of the stock is owned by company insiders.
UnitedHealth Group Price Performance
Shares of NYSE UNH opened at $426.39 on Friday. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 1-year low of $234.60 and a 1-year high of $461.62. The firm has a market capitalization of $387.23 billion, a PE ratio of 27.44, a P/E/G ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.80. The business's fifty day moving average price is $404.81 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $342.28.
UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 16th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.38 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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%. The company's quarterly revenue was up .4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $4.08 earnings per share. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 19.500-20.000 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 18.77 EPS for the current year.
UnitedHealth Group Increases Dividend
The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 23rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th were issued a dividend of $2.32 per share. This represents a $9.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. This is a boost from UnitedHealth Group's previous quarterly dividend of $2.21. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 15th. UnitedHealth Group's dividend payout ratio is presently 70.09%.
UnitedHealth Group Profile
(
Free Report)
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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