UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH Shares Sold by GUARDCAP ASSET MANAGEMENT Ltd

Key Points

• GUARDCAP ASSET MANAGEMENT Ltd cut its UnitedHealth Group stake by 16.5% in the second quarter, selling 76,746 shares and retaining 388,415 shares valued at approximately $159.9 million.
• Analysts remain broadly positive, with UnitedHealth receiving a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $455.92.
• UnitedHealth exceeded quarterly earnings expectations, reporting $6.38 in EPS versus the $4.94 consensus estimate, and declared a quarterly dividend of $2.32 per share, equivalent to a 2.3% annual yield.

GUARDCAP ASSET MANAGEMENT Ltd reduced its stake in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 16.5% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 388,415 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after selling 76,746 shares during the period. UnitedHealth Group accounts for approximately 11.4% of GUARDCAP ASSET MANAGEMENT Ltd's investment portfolio, making the stock its 2nd biggest position. GUARDCAP ASSET MANAGEMENT Ltd's holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $159,856,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in UnitedHealth Group during the fourth quarter worth approximately $4,376,167,000. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 141.9% during the fourth quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,109,029 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $1,356,432,000 after purchasing an additional 2,410,128 shares during the period. Cardano Risk Management B.V. boosted its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 864.4% in the 4th quarter. Cardano Risk Management B.V. now owns 2,523,700 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $833,099,000 after purchasing an additional 2,262,006 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE increased its position in UnitedHealth Group by 21.8% during the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 11,713,684 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $3,169,606,000 after buying an additional 2,097,859 shares during the period. Finally, Hsbc Holdings PLC grew its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 87.5% in the fourth quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 3,916,041 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $1,294,367,000 after acquiring an additional 1,826,948 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 issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $397.00 to $485.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. Robert W. Baird upgraded shares of UnitedHealth Group from an "underperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and lifted their price target for the company from $287.00 to $453.00 in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Weiss Ratings downgraded UnitedHealth Group from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. Piper Sandler set a $477.00 price objective on UnitedHealth Group in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded UnitedHealth Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 8th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have given a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $455.92.

Insider Activity at UnitedHealth Group

In other news, CEO Patrick Hugh Conway sold 500 shares of UnitedHealth Group stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $410.00, for a total transaction of $205,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 16,497 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,763,770. This trade represents a 2.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.19% of the company's stock.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Performance

UnitedHealth Group stock opened at $401.52 on Friday. The business's 50-day moving average price is $415.74 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $352.85. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 12-month low of $255.96 and a 12-month high of $461.62. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The stock has a market cap of $360.41 billion, a PE ratio of 25.84, a P/E/G ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.62.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 16th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.94 by $1.44. The company had revenue of $112.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $110.81 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 3.14% and a return on equity of 16.53%. The firm's revenue was up .4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $4.08 EPS. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 19.500-20.000 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 19.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 22nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 14th will be issued 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, September 14th. UnitedHealth Group's dividend payout ratio is presently 59.72%.

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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