UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH Shares Purchased by Erste Asset Management GmbH

Key Points

• Erste Asset Management GmbH increased its UnitedHealth Group stake by 20.4% in the fourth quarter, adding 24,588 shares and bringing its holding to 144,878 shares valued at about $47.9 million.
• UnitedHealth’s stock has attracted broad institutional interest, with 87.86% of shares owned by institutional investors and several smaller funds also reporting new or larger positions.
• Analysts remain broadly positive: recent upgrades and higher price targets pushed the consensus rating to Moderate Buy, while UnitedHealth also reported a quarterly earnings beat and raised its dividend to $2.32 per share.

Erste Asset Management GmbH lifted its position in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 20.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 144,878 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after purchasing an additional 24,588 shares during the quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH's holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $47,903,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Sarver Vrooman Wealth Advisors purchased a new stake in UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Beacon Financial Strategies CORP purchased a new stake in UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Anfield Capital Management LLC raised its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 220.0% during the 4th quarter. Anfield Capital Management LLC now owns 80 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Joseph Group Capital Management purchased a new stake in UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Finally, Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC raised its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 69.4% during the 3rd quarter. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC now owns 83 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. 87.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at UnitedHealth Group

In related news, CEO Patrick Hugh Conway sold 800 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 23rd. The stock was 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 approximately $6,320,775. This trade represents a 4.30% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.28% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have commented on UNH. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $389.00 to $420.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 28th. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $278.00 to $287.00 and gave the stock an "underperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Mizuho boosted their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $410.00 to $440.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. Bank of America upgraded UnitedHealth Group from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $420.00 to $450.00 in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Oppenheimer boosted their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $385.00 to $405.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have given a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, UnitedHealth Group presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $404.42.

UnitedHealth Group Price Performance

UNH stock opened at $400.61 on Monday. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 1 year low of $234.60 and a 1 year high of $404.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 0.80. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $348.12 and its 200 day moving average price is $323.61. The firm has a market cap of $363.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.26, a PEG ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 0.64.

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

UnitedHealth Group Increases Dividend

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

More UnitedHealth Group News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America upgraded UnitedHealth Group to Buy and raised its price target to $450, citing improving medical cost trends and a better risk/reward setup heading into earnings. Article link
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley also lifted its price target on UNH to $453 and kept an Overweight rating, reinforcing the view that sentiment is improving. Article link
• Positive Sentiment: UnitedHealth raised its quarterly dividend by 5% to $2.32 per share, extending its long streak of annual dividend increases and signaling financial strength. Article link
• Positive Sentiment: Healthcare stocks, including UnitedHealth, are benefiting from a broader sector rebound as investors seek defensive stability and rotate out of more volatile areas of the market. Article link
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent coverage notes that UNH has already recovered sharply year to date, outpacing the broader market and its industry peer group. Article link
• Negative Sentiment: Some articles continue to highlight ongoing concerns around rising medical costs, managed-care scrutiny, and the stock’s earlier challenges, which could limit upside if operating trends worsen. Article link

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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