UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH Position Increased by Cercano Management LLC

Key Points

• Cercano Management LLC boosted its UnitedHealth Group stake by 18.7% in the fourth quarter, buying 14,312 additional shares and bringing its total to 90,927 shares worth about $30.0 million.
• Institutional ownership remains very high, with major investors like Vanguard and Capital World Investors also increasing positions, and 87.86% of UNH shares are held by institutions and hedge funds.
• Analyst sentiment is mostly positive: several firms raised price targets, including Truist and Sanford C. Bernstein, while UnitedHealth also reported earnings that beat estimates, though the stock faces some legal and regulatory scrutiny from recent lawsuits and allegations.

Cercano Management LLC increased its stake in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 18.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 90,927 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after purchasing an additional 14,312 shares during the period. UnitedHealth Group accounts for 1.1% of Cercano Management LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 17th largest position. Cercano Management LLC's holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $30,016,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UNH. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 91,600,260 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $30,238,162,000 after purchasing an additional 995,210 shares during the period. Capital World Investors increased its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 18.8% during the 3rd quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 21,766,922 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $7,516,107,000 after purchasing an additional 3,439,182 shares during the period. Capital International Investors increased its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 11.1% during the 3rd quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 17,499,949 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $6,042,710,000 after purchasing an additional 1,747,337 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the 4th quarter worth $4,376,167,000. Finally, Capital Research Global Investors grew its holdings 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 during the last quarter. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at UnitedHealth Group

In related news, CEO Patrick Hugh Conway sold 800 shares of the firm's 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 17,805 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,320,775. This trade represents a 4.30% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.28% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Key Stories Impacting UnitedHealth Group

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

• Positive Sentiment: Truist raised its price target on UnitedHealth Group (UNH) from $395 to $440 and kept a buy rating, reinforcing Wall Street’s confidence in the stock’s upside. Benzinga report on Truist price target increase
• Positive Sentiment: UnitedHealth said it will eliminate nearly two-thirds of pediatric prior authorizations by year-end, a move that could reduce paperwork, speed care access, and improve provider relations. Can UnitedHealth's Pediatric Authorization Cuts Ease Care Delays?
• Positive Sentiment: Several recent commentary pieces highlighted UNH as a durable long-term cash-flow generator, which may be supporting investor sentiment around its healthcare scale and recurring demand. 247WallSt article
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary and social-media trading chatter showed continued interest in UNH, with traders pointing to support around the mid-$300s and upside targets near $400-$420, but this is more technical sentiment than a fundamental catalyst. Quiver Quantitative discussion summary
• Negative Sentiment: Massachusetts filed a lawsuit accusing UnitedHealth of inflating Medicaid patient risk scores to secure higher payments, adding legal, reputational, and reimbursement risk for the company. UnitedHealth Lawsuit Raises Fresh Questions On Medicaid Revenue And Investor Risk
• Negative Sentiment: Separate reporting on allegations tied to UnitedHealthcare’s Medicare Advantage advertising practices keeps regulatory scrutiny in focus, which can weigh on investor confidence. GlobeNewswire article

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on UNH shares. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $444.00 to $492.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. HSBC raised UnitedHealth Group from a "reduce" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $300.00 target price for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. Leerink Partners raised their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $345.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Erste Group Bank raised UnitedHealth Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $389.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 28th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have issued a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, UnitedHealth Group presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $399.50.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Down 0.1%

UNH stock opened at $380.03 on Tuesday. 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's 50-day simple moving average is $338.84 and its 200 day simple moving average is $321.92. The company has a market cap of $345.12 billion, a PE ratio of 28.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 0.64. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a twelve month low of $234.60 and a twelve month high of $404.15.

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 the consensus estimate of $6.76 by $0.47. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 14.65% and a net margin of 2.68%.The business had revenue of $111.65 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $109.84 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $7.20 EPS. UnitedHealth Group's revenue 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, research analysts anticipate that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 18.29 earnings per share for the current year.

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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