UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH Shares Bought by Rakuten Investment Management Inc.

Key Points

• Rakuten Investment Management boosted its UnitedHealth Group stake by 353.3% in the fourth quarter, ending with 119,156 shares valued at about $39.2 million.
• UnitedHealth posted a better-than-expected quarterly earnings report, with EPS of $7.23 versus $6.76 expected and revenue of $111.65 billion, topping analyst estimates.
• The company also raised its dividend to $2.32 per share quarterly, while analysts currently maintain a Moderate Buy consensus with an average target price of $407.17.

Rakuten Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 353.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 119,156 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after acquiring an additional 92,872 shares during the quarter. Rakuten Investment Management Inc.'s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $39,195,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Founders Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 3.0% in the fourth quarter. Founders Capital Management LLC now owns 982 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $324,000 after buying an additional 29 shares during the period. Kellett Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Kellett Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,746 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $576,000 after buying an additional 29 shares during the last quarter. Cooper Financial Group increased its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Cooper Financial Group now owns 4,338 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $1,432,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares during the period. Successful Portfolios LLC increased its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. Successful Portfolios LLC now owns 1,194 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $411,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares during the period. Finally, McLean Asset Management Corp increased its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. McLean Asset Management Corp now owns 2,000 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $670,000 after acquiring an additional 32 shares during the period. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UNH has been the topic of several analyst reports. Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $278.00 to $287.00 and gave the company an "underperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $361.00 to $400.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $370.00 to $397.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. HSBC upgraded UnitedHealth Group from a "reduce" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $300.00 target price for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. Finally, Leerink Partners increased their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $345.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have issued a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $407.17.

Insider Transactions at UnitedHealth Group

In related news, CEO Patrick Hugh Conway sold 800 shares of UnitedHealth Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $355.00, for a total value of $284,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 17,805 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,320,775. This trade represents a 4.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.28% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Up 0.7%

UnitedHealth Group stock opened at $411.32 on Tuesday. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a twelve month low of $234.60 and a twelve month high of $415.98. The company's 50-day moving average price is $364.96 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $327.51. The stock has a market cap of $373.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.07, a P/E/G ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 0.64. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The healthcare conglomerate reported $7.23 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.76 by $0.47. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 2.68% and a return on equity of 14.65%. The company had revenue of $111.65 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $109.84 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $7.20 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 18.250- EPS. As a group, analysts expect that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 18.32 EPS for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 23rd. Investors of record on Monday, June 15th will be paid a $2.32 dividend. This represents a $9.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.3%. This is a positive change from UnitedHealth Group's previous quarterly dividend of $2.21. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. UnitedHealth Group's payout ratio is 66.77%.

About UnitedHealth Group

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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