UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH Shares Acquired by AltraVue Capital LLC

Key Points

• AltraVue Capital increased its UnitedHealth Group stake by 3.8% in the fourth quarter, adding 2,840 shares to reach 78,460 shares valued at about $25.9 million.
• Several major analysts turned more bullish on UNH, with Bank of America upgrading the stock to Buy and lifting its target to $450; Morgan Stanley also raised its target to $453.
• UnitedHealth reported better-than-expected quarterly earnings and revenue, and it also raised its dividend to $2.32 per share, signaling continued financial strength despite some ongoing concerns about medical costs.

AltraVue Capital LLC grew its position in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 3.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 78,460 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after acquiring an additional 2,840 shares during the quarter. UnitedHealth Group comprises approximately 2.1% of AltraVue Capital LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 18th biggest position. AltraVue Capital LLC's holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $25,900,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of UNH. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the fourth quarter worth $4,376,167,000. Capital Research Global Investors lifted its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 126.9% during the third quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 13,042,049 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $4,503,419,000 after purchasing an additional 7,293,009 shares during the period. Capital World Investors lifted its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 18.8% during the third quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 21,766,922 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $7,516,107,000 after purchasing an additional 3,439,182 shares during the period. Capital International Investors lifted its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 11.1% in the third quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 17,499,949 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $6,042,710,000 after acquiring an additional 1,747,337 shares during the period. Finally, Lone Pine Capital LLC acquired a new stake in UnitedHealth Group in the second quarter valued at $528,273,000. 87.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have commented on UNH shares. Bank of America raised UnitedHealth Group from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their target price for the company from $420.00 to $450.00 in a report on Thursday. TD Cowen raised their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $311.00 to $337.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $340.00 to $373.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $370.00 to $397.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $395.00 to $453.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have given a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $404.42.

Insider Activity

In other UnitedHealth Group news, CEO Patrick Hugh Conway sold 800 shares of the company'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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 17,805 shares in the company, valued at $6,320,775. This 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 the SEC website. Insiders own 0.28% of the company's stock.

UnitedHealth Group News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America upgraded UnitedHealth Group to Buy and raised its price target to $450, citing improving medical cost trends and a better risk/reward setup heading into earnings. Article link
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley also lifted its price target on UNH to $453 and kept an Overweight rating, reinforcing the view that sentiment is improving. Article link
• Positive Sentiment: UnitedHealth raised its quarterly dividend by 5% to $2.32 per share, extending its long streak of annual dividend increases and signaling financial strength. Article link
• Positive Sentiment: Healthcare stocks, including UnitedHealth, are benefiting from a broader sector rebound as investors seek defensive stability and rotate out of more volatile areas of the market. Article link
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent coverage notes that UNH has already recovered sharply year to date, outpacing the broader market and its industry peer group. Article link
• Negative Sentiment: Some articles continue to highlight ongoing concerns around rising medical costs, managed-care scrutiny, and the stock’s earlier challenges, which could limit upside if operating trends worsen. Article link

UnitedHealth Group Stock Up 1.0%

UNH opened at $400.61 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.80. The stock has a market capitalization of $363.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 0.64. The business has a 50-day moving average of $348.12 and a two-hundred day moving average of $323.59. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 12 month low of $234.60 and a 12 month high of $404.15.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The healthcare conglomerate reported $7.23 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 company had revenue of $111.65 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $109.84 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $7.20 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 18.250- EPS. On average, research analysts expect that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 18.32 earnings per share for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Increases Dividend

The company 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 represents a $9.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 15th. This is an increase from UnitedHealth Group's previous quarterly dividend of $2.21. UnitedHealth Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 66.77%.

UnitedHealth Group 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.

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.