UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH Position Lessened by Alps Advisors Inc.

Key Points

• Alps Advisors cut its UnitedHealth stake by 14% in Q3, selling 3,892 shares; it retained 23,866 shares valued at about $8.76 million.
• Analysts’ consensus rating is “Moderate Buy”, with an average price target of $463.93; 20 analysts rate the stock Buy and eight Hold.
• UnitedHealth reported quarterly EPS of $4.69, beating the $4.14 consensus, and declared a quarterly dividend of $2.32 per share.

Alps Advisors Inc. trimmed its stake in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 14.0% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 23,866 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after selling 3,892 shares during the quarter. Alps Advisors Inc.'s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $8,761,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. City State Bank increased its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 5.6% during the third quarter. City State Bank now owns 471 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $173,000 after acquiring an additional 25 shares in the last quarter. Murphy Pohlad Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 0.5% during the third quarter. Murphy Pohlad Asset Management LLC now owns 5,305 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $1,947,000 after acquiring an additional 25 shares during the period. LFG Wealth Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 3.3% during the 2nd quarter. LFG Wealth Partners LLC now owns 853 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $355,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares during the period. Synergy Financial Group LTD boosted its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 3.1% in the second quarter. Synergy Financial Group LTD now owns 887 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $369,000 after acquiring an additional 27 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ares Financial Consulting LLC grew its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 7.2% during the 2nd quarter. Ares Financial Consulting LLC now owns 419 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $174,000 after acquiring an additional 28 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 87.86% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently weighed in on UNH. Barclays cut their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $441.00 to $440.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 14th. Wall Street Zen raised UnitedHealth Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 8th. DA Davidson set a $512.00 price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $516.00 to $524.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, October 16th. Finally, Oppenheimer lifted their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $420.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Twenty investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $463.93.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Down 0.4%

NYSE:UNH opened at $394.14 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 0.74 and a quick ratio of 0.78. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $390.62 and its 200-day moving average price is $364.03. The company has a market capitalization of $353.16 billion, a PE ratio of 22.51, a P/E/G ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 0.51. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 1-year low of $255.96 and a 1-year high of $461.62.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, October 13th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $4.69 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.14 by $0.55. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 17.95% and a net margin of 3.53%. The business had revenue of $112.72 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $111.31 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.59 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was down .4% compared to the same quarter last year. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 20.500- EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 20.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 7th will be issued a dividend of $2.32 per share. This represents a $9.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 7th. UnitedHealth Group's dividend payout ratio is presently 53.00%.

Key Headlines Impacting UnitedHealth Group

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

• Positive Sentiment: ETFs purchased $56.4 million of UNH shares on Nov. 4, a potentially supportive demand signal. ETFs Are Buying UnitedHealth (UNH) on Nov. 4
• Positive Sentiment: UnitedHealth’s Q3 adjusted EPS of $4.69 topped analyst expectations, and a recent earnings analysis said the results bolstered confidence in a margin recovery. UnitedHealth (UNH) Q3 Earnings Lift Confidence In Margin Recovery
• Positive Sentiment: A Zacks article characterized Wall Street analysts’ view of UNH as a Buy, offering a favorable sentiment signal, though the article summary did not cite a specific new rating change. Wall Street Analysts See UnitedHealth (UNH) as a Buy: Should You Invest?
• Positive Sentiment: The company declared a quarterly dividend of $2.32 per share, equivalent to $9.28 annually and a reported yield of 2.3%. UnitedHealth Group Declares Quarterly Dividend Of $2.32 Per Share
• Negative Sentiment: Utilization and policy concerns remain an overhang for the company, highlighting uncertainty around medical costs and the regulatory environment. Utilization and Policy Concerns Weigh on UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (UNH)
• Negative Sentiment: Renewed calls for a regulatory review of UnitedHealth’s business scale, alongside warnings that AI could disrupt large healthcare companies, add longer-term risk concerns. UnitedHealth Group (UNH) Draws Breakup Pressure As AI Threat Enters The Story

Insider Activity at UnitedHealth Group

In related news, CEO Patrick Conway sold 1,169 shares of UnitedHealth Group stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $390.00, for a total value of $455,910.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 15,328 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,977,920. This trade represents a 7.09% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.19% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

About UnitedHealth Group

UnitedHealth Group is a diversified health care company that provides health benefits and health services through two main businesses: UnitedHealthcare and Optum. UnitedHealthcare offers health insurance and related benefit plans to individuals, employers and government programs, including Medicare and Medicaid.

Optum provides services across the health care system, including care delivery, pharmacy services, pharmacy benefit management, health technology and data analytics. Its businesses serve consumers, health care providers, employers, health plans and government organizations.

Founded in 1977 as United HealthCare Corporation, the company is headquartered in Minnetonka, Minnesota.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.