UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH Shares Bought by BlackRock Inc.

Key Points

• BlackRock increased its UnitedHealth stake by 4.6% in the second quarter, acquiring 3.4 million additional shares and bringing its holdings to 76.9 million shares, or 8.46% of the company. Institutional investors collectively own 87.86% of UNH.
• UnitedHealth exceeded quarterly expectations with $6.38 in EPS and $112.03 billion in revenue, while maintaining 2026 EPS guidance of $19.50–$20.00. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $2.32, equating to a 2.4% annualized yield.
• Analyst sentiment remains broadly positive, with several firms raising price targets and MarketBeat reporting a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating with a $455.92 target. However, potential IRS tax scrutiny and an investor lawsuit related to the Change Healthcare acquisition and data breach remain risks.

BlackRock Inc. boosted its stake in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 4.6% in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 76,863,061 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after buying an additional 3,395,530 shares during the period. BlackRock Inc. owned 8.46% of UnitedHealth Group worth $31,946,594,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Occidental Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in UnitedHealth Group during the second quarter worth approximately $221,000. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 6.4% during the 2nd quarter. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC now owns 6,756 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $2,808,000 after purchasing an additional 409 shares during the period. Panoramic Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the second quarter valued at $251,000. Perigon Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 7.8% during the second quarter. Perigon Wealth Management LLC now owns 10,008 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $4,160,000 after acquiring an additional 726 shares during the period. Finally, Pursue Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in UnitedHealth Group in the 2nd quarter valued at about $623,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.86% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other UnitedHealth Group news, CEO Patrick Hugh Conway sold 500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $410.00, for a total transaction of $205,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 16,497 shares in the company, valued at $6,763,770. This trade represents a 2.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.19% of the stock is owned by insiders.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE UNH opened at $384.60 on Friday. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a one year low of $255.96 and a one year high of $461.62. The business's 50-day moving average price is $414.33 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $355.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.78. The company has a market capitalization of $345.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 0.62.

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

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 22nd. Investors of record on Monday, September 14th will be paid a $2.32 dividend. This represents a $9.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 14th. UnitedHealth Group's payout ratio is presently 59.72%.

Key UnitedHealth Group News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst estimates moved higher. Zacks Research maintained a “Strong-Buy” rating and raised its forecasts for several periods, including FY2027 EPS to $22.28 from $22.16, FY2028 EPS to $25.74 from $25.69, Q1 2027 EPS to $7.12, Q2 2027 EPS to $6.35 and Q1 2028 EPS to $7.36. The firm also sharply lifted its Q2 2028 estimate to $7.19 from $5.84. These revisions signal expectations for stronger profitability and support the recovery case for UNH. MarketBeat UnitedHealth Group analyst estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Valuation and operating trends remain constructive. A Zacks analysis said UNH looked reasonably valued at approximately 18.39 times earnings, citing improving medical costs, rising EPS estimates and shareholder capital returns as potential catalysts. The company’s latest reported quarter also exceeded earnings and revenue expectations, while full-year 2026 guidance remains $19.50–$20.00 per share. UnitedHealth Stock Looks Reasonable at 18.39X P/E
• Neutral Sentiment: Some longer-term Zacks revisions were mixed: Q3 2027 EPS was reduced to $4.74 from $4.81 and Q4 2027 EPS to $4.07 from $4.12, partially offsetting the upward revisions elsewhere. UnitedHealth Group estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Tax and legal uncertainty pressured sentiment. The IRS is examining whether UnitedHealth used foreign subsidiaries to reduce taxable income over four years, potentially increasing its tax liability, although the amount at stake has not been disclosed. Separately, an investor lawsuit alleges governance, cybersecurity and internal-control failures connected to the Change Healthcare acquisition and its major data breach. IRS scrutiny of UnitedHealth tax practices UnitedHealth investor lawsuit

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $468.00 to $529.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Mizuho boosted their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $470.00 to $493.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, July 20th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $397.00 to $485.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $463.00 to $478.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, July 17th. Two investment 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's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, UnitedHealth Group presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $455.92.

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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