UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH Shares Purchased by Hsbc Holdings PLC

Key Points

• Hsbc Holdings PLC boosted its UnitedHealth Group stake by 87.5% in the fourth quarter, buying 1.83 million more shares and bringing its total holding to 3.92 million shares valued at about $1.29 billion.
• UnitedHealth reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $7.23 on revenue of $111.65 billion, and it raised its dividend to $2.32 per quarter from $2.21.
• Wall Street sentiment is mostly positive, with a Moderate Buy consensus and average target price of $409.75, though one executive recently sold a small portion of shares and one analyst still rates the stock underperform.

Hsbc Holdings PLC boosted its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 87.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,916,041 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after acquiring an additional 1,826,948 shares during the period. UnitedHealth Group comprises 0.7% of Hsbc Holdings PLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 17th biggest holding. Hsbc Holdings PLC owned about 0.43% of UnitedHealth Group worth $1,294,367,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Oberndorf William E purchased a new position in UnitedHealth Group during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $12,276,000. Griffith & Werner Inc. purchased a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the third quarter worth approximately $3,039,000. TIAA Trust National Association increased its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 38.6% in the 3rd quarter. TIAA Trust National Association now owns 262,244 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $90,553,000 after acquiring an additional 73,030 shares during the period. DC Investments Management LLC acquired a new stake in UnitedHealth Group during the 3rd quarter worth $5,764,000. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB increased its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 4.2% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 91,496 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $30,287,000 after purchasing an additional 3,720 shares during the period. 87.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

UnitedHealth Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:UNH opened at $400.86 on Friday. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 12 month low of $234.60 and a 12 month high of $415.98. The firm has a market capitalization of $364.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 0.64. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $373.69 and its 200-day simple moving average is $329.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.80.

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

UnitedHealth Group Increases Dividend

The firm 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%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. This is a positive change from UnitedHealth Group's previous quarterly dividend of $2.21. UnitedHealth Group's dividend payout ratio is currently 70.09%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UNH has been the subject of several recent research reports. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $278.00 to $287.00 and gave the stock an "underperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Bank of America raised UnitedHealth Group from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $420.00 to $450.00 in a research report on Thursday, June 4th. Truist Financial upped their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $395.00 to $440.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, June 1st. Leerink Partners lifted their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $400.00 to $462.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, TD Cowen raised their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $311.00 to $337.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have given a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, UnitedHealth Group has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $409.75.

Insider Transactions at UnitedHealth Group

In other UnitedHealth Group news, CEO Patrick Hugh Conway sold 800 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $355.00, for a total value of $284,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 17,805 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,320,775. This represents a 4.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.28% of the company's stock.

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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