UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH Shares Sold by Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC

Key Points

• Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC cut its UnitedHealth stake by 20.5% in Q4, selling 7,200 shares and leaving 27,859 shares valued at about $9.196 million.
• Q1 beat and raised guidance: UnitedHealth reported EPS of $7.23 vs. $6.76 expected and revenue of $111.65B vs. $109.84B, and set FY guidance around 18.25 EPS, supporting a bullish recovery thesis.
• Insider and institutional activity: CEO Patrick Conway sold 800 shares at about $355 (~$284k) on April 23, while large institutions increased holdings and hedge funds own roughly 87.9% of the stock; analysts' consensus is a Moderate Buy with an average target near $377.64.

Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC lowered its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 20.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 27,859 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after selling 7,200 shares during the period. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC's holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $9,196,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in UnitedHealth Group by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 91,600,260 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $30,238,162,000 after buying an additional 995,210 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors raised its position in UnitedHealth Group by 18.8% during the 3rd quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 21,766,922 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $7,516,107,000 after buying an additional 3,439,182 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Investors raised its position in UnitedHealth Group by 11.1% during the 3rd quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 17,499,949 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $6,042,710,000 after buying an additional 1,747,337 shares during the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors increased its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 126.9% in the 3rd quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 13,042,049 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $4,503,419,000 after purchasing an additional 7,293,009 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dodge & Cox increased its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 8.6% in the 3rd quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 9,505,636 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $3,282,296,000 after purchasing an additional 755,076 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.86% of the company's stock.

More UnitedHealth Group News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results and outlook beat expectations — UnitedHealth reported stronger‑than‑expected Q1 revenue and EPS and raised FY guidance (management highlighted margin improvement and Medicare tailwinds), underpinning the recovery thesis. UnitedHealth: Solid Renewal Cadence With 2027 Tailwinds
• Positive Sentiment: Goldman Sachs raised its target on UNH, calling out ETFs (like IHF) as ways to play the sector while softening Medicaid risks — a visible analyst upgrade that can attract investor inflows. Goldman Sachs Lifts UnitedHealth Target Price: Healthcare ETFs to Watch
• Positive Sentiment: Erste Group upgraded UNH from Hold to Buy — another vote of confidence from the sell‑side that can support buying interest. Finviz (Erste upgrade)
• Positive Sentiment: High‑profile media support — Jim Cramer publicly said UNH “deserves to be much higher,” which can spur retail buying and sentiment momentum. Jim Cramer on UnitedHealth
• Neutral Sentiment: Operational initiative — UnitedHealth is expanding electronic prior authorization to reduce manual steps and speed approvals (could lower provider friction and administrative costs over time). UnitedHealth Prior Authorization Expansion Meets Mixed Returns And Valuation Upside
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst target dispersion — several firms have recently adjusted targets (mixed: some big raises, some conservative holds), leaving the consensus elevated but with variance that can cause trading volatility. QuiverQuant UNH opinions
• Negative Sentiment: Insider sale — CEO Patrick Conway sold 800 shares at about $355 on April 23 (filed on Form 4). While modest in size, insider selling can be perceived negatively by some investors. SEC Form 4 (CEO sale)

UnitedHealth Group Stock Performance

NYSE:UNH opened at $354.64 on Tuesday. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a twelve month low of $234.60 and a twelve month high of $424.12. The company has a market capitalization of $322.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 0.40. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $294.63 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $316.54. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results 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. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 2.68% and a return on equity of 14.65%. The company had revenue of $111.65 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $109.84 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $7.20 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 18.250- EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 18.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 9th were paid a dividend of $2.21 per share. This represents a $8.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 9th. UnitedHealth Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 66.77%.

Insider Activity

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on UNH shares. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $375.00 to $395.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Raymond James Financial upgraded shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $330.00 price target for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. Erste Group Bank upgraded shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Monday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $425.00 to $389.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein raised their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $405.00 to $411.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have issued a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $377.64.

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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