UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH Shares Bought by California State Teachers Retirement System

Key Points

• California State Teachers Retirement System dramatically increased its UnitedHealth stake, buying more than 566 million shares in the second quarter and becoming a major institutional holder. Overall, hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.86% of UNH.
• UnitedHealth exceeded quarterly earnings and revenue expectations, reporting $6.38 in EPS versus the $4.94 consensus estimate and setting fiscal 2026 EPS guidance of $19.50–$20.00. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $2.32, equivalent to a 2.3% annual yield.
• Analysts maintain a generally positive view, with a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $456.56, although valuation and medical-cost discipline remain concerns. CEO Patrick Conway also sold 1,169 shares, reducing his holdings by 7.09%.

California State Teachers Retirement System lifted its holdings in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 41,749.2% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 567,446,754 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after buying an additional 566,090,823 shares during the period. UnitedHealth Group makes up 0.6% of California State Teachers Retirement System's holdings, making the stock its 27th biggest position. California State Teachers Retirement System owned 63.22% of UnitedHealth Group worth $235,847,894,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of UNH. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 4.8% during the second quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC now owns 9,856 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $4,097,000 after buying an additional 451 shares during the last quarter. Guardian Wealth Advisors LLC NC increased its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 5.1% in the 2nd quarter. Guardian Wealth Advisors LLC NC now owns 4,507 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $1,873,000 after acquiring an additional 217 shares during the last quarter. Wedmont Private Capital boosted its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 0.9% during the 2nd quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 13,166 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $5,591,000 after acquiring an additional 122 shares during the last quarter. Kintra Wealth LLC increased its position in UnitedHealth Group by 46.4% during the second quarter. Kintra Wealth LLC now owns 1,367 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $546,000 after purchasing an additional 433 shares during the last quarter. Finally, HB Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 18.9% during the second quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 58,523 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $24,324,000 after purchasing an additional 9,295 shares during the period. 87.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Down 0.1%

NYSE:UNH opened at $396.79 on Monday. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 52 week low of $255.96 and a 52 week high of $461.62. The company has a quick ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The stock's fifty day moving average is $411.65 and its two-hundred day moving average is $364.66. The stock has a market capitalization of $356.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 0.61.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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. The firm had revenue of $112.03 billion for 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 company's quarterly revenue was up .4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $4.08 EPS. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 19.500-20.000 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 19.82 EPS for the current 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 issued a $2.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 14th. This represents a $9.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. UnitedHealth Group's payout ratio is 59.72%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Leerink Partners raised their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $400.00 to $462.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 17th. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Wednesday. Erste Group Bank downgraded UnitedHealth Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 27th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $468.00 to $529.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, July 17th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have given a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $456.56.

UnitedHealth Group News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Earnings and guidance have improved. UnitedHealth recently exceeded quarterly earnings and revenue expectations, raised its 2026 adjusted EPS outlook to $19.50–$20.00, and benefited from better medical-cost trends. Optum’s momentum and a greater focus on profitable businesses are also supporting the turnaround. UnitedHealth’s Earnings Beat And Cost Controls Could Be A Game Changer
• Positive Sentiment: Reducing prior authorizations could improve member and provider relationships. UnitedHealthcare plans to eliminate authorization requirements for roughly 1,700 services, including certain cardiology, laboratory, therapy, orthopedic and home-health procedures, beginning October 1. Less administrative friction could improve customer satisfaction, access to care and long-term retention. UnitedHealth Group To Cut Prior Authorizations For 1,700 Services
• Neutral Sentiment: Healthcare’s defensive characteristics may attract investors. Sector rotation driven by interest rates, oil prices and employment conditions could favor defensive healthcare stocks over higher-growth areas. However, analyst commentary remains mixed on whether UNH is still attractively valued after its roughly 39% six-month recovery.
• Negative Sentiment: Investors are questioning medical-cost discipline. Removing approval barriers may accelerate care and payments, but it could also weaken a key mechanism used to manage utilization and expenses. The market is watching whether faster approvals undermine margins. UnitedHealth Falls as 30% of Approval Barriers Vanish
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation leaves less room for disappointment. After a substantial rebound, UNH trades near $400 per share, leading some analysts to argue that investors have already priced in much of the recovery while margins and certain business challenges still need to improve.

Insider Transactions at UnitedHealth Group

In other UnitedHealth Group news, CEO Patrick Conway sold 1,169 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $390.00, for a total value of $455,910.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 15,328 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,977,920. This trade represents a 7.09% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.19% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.

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