UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH Position Trimmed by Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC

Key Points

• Clifford Swan Investment Counsel trimmed its UnitedHealth Group stake by 7.5% in the fourth quarter, selling 8,847 shares and leaving it with 108,884 shares valued at about $35.9 million.
• Several Wall Street analysts turned more bullish on UNH, including Raymond James, Morgan Stanley, Erste Group, and HSBC, with the consensus rating at Moderate Buy and an average price target of $404.42.
• UnitedHealth also raised its quarterly dividend to $2.32 per share and reported earnings that beat expectations, while the stock was trading near its 52-week high after a recent 5.4% gain.

Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC decreased its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 7.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 108,884 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after selling 8,847 shares during the period. UnitedHealth Group comprises about 1.2% of Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 19th largest holding. Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC's holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $35,944,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators grew its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 19.2% during the 4th quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators now owns 1,935 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $639,000 after buying an additional 311 shares during the last quarter. Curio Wealth LLC bought a new position in UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter worth $49,000. Avise Financial Cooperative Inc. bought a new stake in UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter valued at $342,000. Vise Technologies Inc. grew its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 43.6% in the fourth quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. now owns 23,662 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $7,811,000 after purchasing an additional 7,185 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 231,613 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $76,458,000 after purchasing an additional 4,939 shares in the last quarter. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Raymond James Financial upgraded shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $330.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $395.00 to $453.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday. Erste Group Bank upgraded shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, April 27th. HSBC upgraded UnitedHealth Group from a "reduce" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $300.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. Finally, HC Wainwright set a $492.00 price objective on UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have issued a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $404.42.

Insider Activity at UnitedHealth Group

In other news, CEO Patrick Hugh Conway sold 800 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $355.00, for a total transaction of $284,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 17,805 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,320,775. This represents a 4.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.28% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Up 5.4%

UNH opened at $397.25 on Friday. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a one year low of $234.60 and a one year high of $404.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 0.80. The stock's fifty day moving average is $345.52 and its 200-day moving average is $323.05. The company has a market capitalization of $360.76 billion, a PE ratio of 30.00, a P/E/G ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 0.64.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 21st. The healthcare conglomerate reported $7.23 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $6.76 by $0.47. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 14.65% and a net margin of 2.68%.The company had revenue of $111.65 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $109.84 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $7.20 EPS. The company's quarterly 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, equities analysts predict that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 18.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 23rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be issued a dividend of $2.32 per share. This is a positive change from UnitedHealth Group's previous quarterly dividend of $2.21. This represents a $9.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. UnitedHealth Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 66.77%.

Key UnitedHealth Group News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America upgraded UnitedHealth to Buy from Neutral and lifted its price target to $450, citing improving medical cost trends and a better risk/reward setup ahead of earnings. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley also raised its price target on UNH to $453 and kept an Overweight rating, reinforcing the view that the stock has room to recover. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: UnitedHealth raised its quarterly dividend by 5% to $2.32 per share, marking its 16th consecutive year of dividend increases and signaling confidence in cash flow despite a tough insurance backdrop. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple market reports noted that analysts are increasingly optimistic on managed-care names, pointing to softer medical cost and utilization trends that could support earnings recovery for UNH. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: The company also provided updates on its annual shareholder meeting and board actions, with shareholders re-electing directors and approving executive compensation; these items are routine and do not appear to be the main driver of trading. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Broader market headlines show weakness in tech stocks and mixed futures, but these macro moves appear to be secondary to the strong company-specific buying in UNH today. Article Title

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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