UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH Shares Purchased by Prudential PLC

Key Points

• Prudential PLC increased its UnitedHealth Group stake by 3.0% in the fourth quarter, bringing its holdings to 92,155 shares valued at about $30.4 million.
• Several large institutional investors also boosted their positions, and hedge funds now own 87.86% of UnitedHealth’s stock, signaling continued strong institutional interest.
• Analysts remain bullish on UNH: recent price targets were raised as high as $492, while the consensus rating is still “Moderate Buy” with a consensus target of $404.42.

Prudential PLC boosted its position in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 3.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 92,155 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after acquiring an additional 2,711 shares during the quarter. Prudential PLC's holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $30,421,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 91,600,260 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $30,238,162,000 after acquiring an additional 995,210 shares in the last quarter. Capital World Investors raised its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 18.8% in the third quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 21,766,922 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $7,516,107,000 after acquiring an additional 3,439,182 shares in the last quarter. Capital International Investors raised its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 11.1% during the third quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 17,499,949 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $6,042,710,000 after purchasing an additional 1,747,337 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in UnitedHealth Group during the fourth quarter worth approximately $4,376,167,000. Finally, Capital Research Global Investors raised its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 126.9% during the third quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 13,042,049 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $4,503,419,000 after purchasing an additional 7,293,009 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.86% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $410.00 to $460.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Truist Financial raised their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $395.00 to $440.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $395.00 to $453.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday. Raymond James Financial raised shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $330.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. Finally, HC Wainwright set a $492.00 target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have assigned a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $404.42.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Patrick Hugh Conway sold 800 shares of UnitedHealth Group stock in a transaction 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 in the company, valued at $6,320,775. This trade represents a 4.30% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.28% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Trending Headlines about UnitedHealth Group

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

• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America upgraded UnitedHealth to Buy from Neutral and lifted its price target to $450, citing improving medical cost trends and a better risk/reward setup ahead of earnings. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley also raised its price target on UNH to $453 and kept an Overweight rating, reinforcing the view that the stock has room to recover. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: UnitedHealth raised its quarterly dividend by 5% to $2.32 per share, marking its 16th consecutive year of dividend increases and signaling confidence in cash flow despite a tough insurance backdrop. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple market reports noted that analysts are increasingly optimistic on managed-care names, pointing to softer medical cost and utilization trends that could support earnings recovery for UNH. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: The company also provided updates on its annual shareholder meeting and board actions, with shareholders re-electing directors and approving executive compensation; these items are routine and do not appear to be the main driver of trading. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Broader market headlines show weakness in tech stocks and mixed futures, but these macro moves appear to be secondary to the strong company-specific buying in UNH today. Article Title

UnitedHealth Group Stock Performance

Shares of UnitedHealth Group stock opened at $397.25 on Friday. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $345.52 and its 200-day simple moving average is $323.05. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 12 month low of $234.60 and a 12 month high of $404.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.80. The stock has a market capitalization of $360.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.00, a PEG ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 0.64.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 21st. The healthcare conglomerate reported $7.23 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $6.76 by $0.47. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 2.68% and a return on equity of 14.65%. The firm had revenue of $111.65 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $109.84 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $7.20 EPS. UnitedHealth Group's quarterly revenue 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, equities analysts forecast that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 18.29 earnings per share 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 given a $2.32 dividend. This is a positive change from UnitedHealth Group's previous quarterly dividend of $2.21. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 15th. This represents a $9.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.3%. UnitedHealth Group's payout ratio is 66.77%.

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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