UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH Shares Bought by Violich Capital Management Inc.

Key Points

• Violich Capital Management increased its UnitedHealth Group stake by 15.6% in the third quarter, adding 4,880 shares and bringing its holdings to 36,134 shares valued at approximately $13.3 million.
• Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.86% of UnitedHealth Group, with major holders including BlackRock, State Street and Capital World Investors also increasing their positions.
• Analysts maintain a generally positive outlook, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and a $465.75 target price. UnitedHealth also exceeded quarterly earnings expectations, reporting $6.38 in adjusted EPS versus the $4.94 consensus estimate.

Violich Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 15.6% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 36,134 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after acquiring an additional 4,880 shares during the quarter. UnitedHealth Group comprises about 1.4% of Violich Capital Management Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 17th biggest holding. Violich Capital Management Inc.'s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $13,264,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. BlackRock Inc. boosted its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 4.6% during the 2nd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 76,863,061 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $31,946,594,000 after purchasing an additional 3,395,530 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 0.7% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 45,633,267 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $18,966,555,000 after buying an additional 301,081 shares in the last quarter. Capital World Investors raised its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 3.8% during the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 22,591,042 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $7,457,723,000 after purchasing an additional 824,120 shares during the period. Capital International Investors raised its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 6.6% during the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 18,655,111 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $6,158,734,000 after buying an additional 1,155,162 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 6.1% in the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 10,704,994 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $4,449,317,000 after acquiring an additional 616,723 shares in the last quarter. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at UnitedHealth Group

In other UnitedHealth Group news, CEO Patrick Conway sold 1,169 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, August 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $390.00, for a total transaction 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. The trade was a 7.09% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 0.19% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently commented on the company. Zacks Research cut UnitedHealth Group from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, September 14th. Piper Sandler raised their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $477.00 to $499.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, July 17th. TD Cowen upped their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $337.00 to $430.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $435.00 to $490.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, July 17th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased 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. Twenty equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $465.75.

UnitedHealth Group Price Performance

Shares of UNH opened at $371.75 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a current ratio of 0.78. The firm has a market cap of $333.68 billion, a PE ratio of 23.92, a PEG ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.60. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a twelve month low of $255.96 and a twelve month high of $461.62. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $393.26 and its 200 day moving average price is $377.68.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 16th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.38 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $4.94 by $1.44. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 3.14% and a return on equity of 16.53%. The business had revenue of $112.03 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $110.81 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $4.08 EPS. UnitedHealth Group's revenue for the quarter was up .4% on a year-over-year basis. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 19.500-20.000 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 19.85 EPS for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 22nd. Investors of record on Monday, September 14th were issued a dividend of $2.32 per share. This represents a $9.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 14th. UnitedHealth Group's dividend payout ratio is currently 59.72%.

About UnitedHealth Group

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated NYSE: UNH is a diversified health care and well-being company serving individuals, employers, health care providers and government programs. Its operations are organized primarily through UnitedHealthcare and Optum.

UnitedHealthcare provides health benefit plans and services, including employer-sponsored coverage, individual and family plans, Medicare and Medicaid offerings, and other government-supported programs. Its services include health insurance administration, pharmacy benefits and care management.

Optum provides health care services, technology and data solutions, pharmacy services, and analytics to health plans, employers, government agencies, health care providers and consumers.

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