UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH Shares Sold by Skylands Capital LLC

Key Points

• Skylands Capital cut its UnitedHealth stake by 44.4%, selling 6,410 shares and retaining 8,020 shares worth about $2.65 million.
• UnitedHealth beat Q1 estimates (EPS $7.23 vs. $6.76) and raised full‑year guidance, spurring analyst upgrades and increased institutional/ETF flows.
• Insider and institutional activity: CEO Patrick Conway sold 800 shares (~$284,000), while hedge funds and other institutions own roughly 87.86% of the stock.

Skylands Capital LLC decreased its stake in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 44.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 8,020 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after selling 6,410 shares during the quarter. Skylands Capital LLC's holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $2,647,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 176.2% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 44,249 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $22,384,000 after acquiring an additional 28,231 shares in the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC raised its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 137.1% during the 4th quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 4,019 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $2,033,000 after purchasing an additional 2,324 shares during the period. CMT Capital Markets Trading GmbH acquired a new stake in UnitedHealth Group during the 2nd quarter worth about $340,000. Flow Traders U.S. LLC acquired a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the 2nd quarter valued at about $356,000. Finally, Jump Financial LLC purchased a new stake in UnitedHealth Group in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $377,000. 87.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

More UnitedHealth Group News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results and outlook beat expectations: UNH reported stronger‑than‑expected Q1 revenue and EPS and raised full‑year guidance, supporting the recovery/margin story. UNH Q1 beat (Yahoo)
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades and higher targets: Goldman Sachs raised its target and Erste upgraded to Buy; several firms (including RBC, Wells Fargo, Argus) have lifted targets recently — these moves attract institutional/ETF flows. Goldman Sachs lift (Zacks)
• Positive Sentiment: High‑profile bullish commentary: Jim Cramer publicly said UNH “deserves to be much higher,” which can drive retail momentum and short‑term buying interest. Jim Cramer on UNH (Yahoo)
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst view dispersion and valuation debate: some firms raise fair‑value estimates while others trim to account for regulatory/Medicaid risks — creates volatility despite an elevated consensus. Valuation / regulation piece (Yahoo)
• Neutral Sentiment: Operational initiatives could help margins over time: UNH is expanding electronic prior authorization to reduce manual work and improve provider experience; benefits are longer‑term. Prior authorization expansion (Yahoo)
• Negative Sentiment: Insider sale: CEO Patrick Conway sold 800 shares at ~ $355 on April 23 (Form 4). The sale is small versus his holdings but can be viewed negatively by some investors. SEC Form 4 (CEO sale)
• Negative Sentiment: Downgrade note: A Seeking Alpha piece argued the recent rally ran “too far, too fast” and initiated a downgrade — a reminder of near‑term valuation risk and potential profit‑taking. Seeking Alpha downgrade

UnitedHealth Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE UNH opened at $354.64 on Tuesday. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $294.63 and its 200-day simple moving average is $316.54. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 52 week low of $234.60 and a 52 week high of $424.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 0.80. The firm has a market cap of $322.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.79, a P/E/G ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 0.40.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The healthcare conglomerate reported $7.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $109.84 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $7.20 earnings per share. The company's 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 research analysts expect that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 18.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity at UnitedHealth Group

In other news, CEO Patrick Hugh Conway sold 800 shares of UnitedHealth Group stock in a transaction dated 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 in the company, valued at approximately $6,320,775. The trade was a 4.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.28% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on UNH shares. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $361.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Raymond James Financial upgraded 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. UBS Group cut their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $430.00 to $410.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, Argus raised shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $400.00 target price for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have assigned a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $377.64.

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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