UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH Shares Acquired by Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio

Key Points

• Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio increased its UnitedHealth Group stake by 0.7% in the first quarter, holding 368,058 shares valued at about $99.6 million.
• Several analysts turned more bullish on UNH, including price target hikes from Truist and Jefferies, while MarketBeat says the stock has a Moderate Buy consensus with an average target price of $455.92.
• UnitedHealth posted better-than-expected quarterly results, earning $6.38 per share versus estimates of $4.94, and it also raised its dividend to $2.32 per share from $2.21.

Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio raised its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 0.7% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 368,058 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after buying an additional 2,668 shares during the period. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio's holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $99,593,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in UNH. Vaughan David Investments LLC IL lifted its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 2.7% in the fourth quarter. Vaughan David Investments LLC IL now owns 150,773 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $49,772,000 after buying an additional 3,934 shares in the last quarter. Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. grew its position in UnitedHealth Group by 1,287.2% in the first quarter. Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. now owns 60,022 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $16,241,000 after acquiring an additional 55,695 shares in the last quarter. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG raised its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 127.6% during the 4th quarter. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG now owns 34,947 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $11,536,000 after buying an additional 19,591 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 91,600,260 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $30,238,162,000 after acquiring an additional 995,210 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 8.7% in the fourth quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. now owns 102,260 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $33,757,000 after purchasing an additional 8,226 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.86% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have commented on UNH. Weiss Ratings raised UnitedHealth Group from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research note on Friday, July 10th. Truist Financial raised their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $440.00 to $480.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Zacks Research raised shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $340.00 to $373.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have assigned a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $455.92.

Key Headlines Impacting UnitedHealth Group

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

• Positive Sentiment: UnitedHealth was highlighted in CNBC’s “Final Trades,” which can reinforce bullish sentiment and bring additional investor attention to the stock. UnitedHealth, Ardagh Metal Packaging, Nvidia And More: CNBC’s ‘Final Trades’
• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan Chase reportedly raised its price target on UNH to $516, signaling Wall Street sees more upside from current levels. JPMorgan Chase & Co. Increases UnitedHealth Group NYSE: UNH Price Target to $516.00
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks said UnitedHealth is a strong momentum stock, citing favorable style scores and solid earnings estimate revisions, which often supports share-price gains. Here's Why UnitedHealth Group (UNH) is a Strong Momentum Stock
• Positive Sentiment: News that UnitedHealth lifted its full-year view suggests management is more confident about the business outlook, a key catalyst for investors. UnitedHealth Group NYSE: UNH In Focus After Lifting Full-Year View
• Neutral Sentiment: Some coverage questioned whether UNH’s recovery is already priced in and warned of near-term consolidation risk, which may limit upside in the short run. UnitedHealth: Recovery Unlikely To Be Linear - Near-Term Consolidation Risks
• Neutral Sentiment: UnitedHealth was also mentioned as a defensive stock and a “safe haven” idea, which can attract risk-averse investors but is not a major fundamental catalyst. Beyond the AI Trade: 3 Defensive Stocks Built for Stability

UnitedHealth Group Trading Down 1.8%

NYSE:UNH opened at $423.44 on Friday. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a one year low of $234.60 and a one year high of $461.62. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $384.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 0.62. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $407.46 and a 200-day moving average price of $345.08.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 16th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $4.94 by $1.44. The company had revenue of $112.03 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $110.81 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 16.53% and a net margin of 3.14%.The firm's revenue was up .4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $4.08 EPS. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 19.500-20.000 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 19.69 EPS for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 23rd. Investors of record on Monday, June 15th were given a dividend of $2.32 per share. This is an increase from UnitedHealth Group's previous quarterly dividend of $2.21. This represents a $9.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 15th. UnitedHealth Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 59.72%.

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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