UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH Shares Sold by USS Investment Management Ltd

Key Points

• USS Investment Management Ltd cut its UnitedHealth Group stake by 66.9% in the first quarter, selling 301,393 shares and leaving it with 148,923 shares worth about $40.3 million.
• Despite that sale, institutional ownership remains very high, with hedge funds and other large investors holding 87.86% of the company’s stock.
• UnitedHealth continues to get bullish analyst support: firms including Bank of America, Barclays, UBS, and Jefferies raised price targets or ratings, while the company also posted a quarterly EPS beat and increased its dividend to $2.32 per share.

USS Investment Management Ltd lowered its position in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 66.9% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 148,923 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after selling 301,393 shares during the period. USS Investment Management Ltd's holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $40,289,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. IFM Investors Pty Ltd raised its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 3.4% during the 1st quarter. IFM Investors Pty Ltd now owns 184,497 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $49,923,000 after buying an additional 6,132 shares during the period. Rexford Capital Inc. increased its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 8.9% in the 1st quarter. Rexford Capital Inc. now owns 1,741 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $471,000 after acquiring an additional 143 shares in the last quarter. iA Global Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 17.1% during the first quarter. iA Global Asset Management Inc. now owns 305,743 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $82,731,000 after purchasing an additional 44,683 shares in the last quarter. Ellenbecker Investment Group increased its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 1.2% during the first quarter. Ellenbecker Investment Group now owns 3,749 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $1,015,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Exeter Financial LLC raised its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 88.3% during the 1st quarter. Exeter Financial LLC now owns 2,593 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $702,000 after purchasing an additional 1,216 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.86% of the company's stock.

Key Headlines Impacting UnitedHealth Group

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

• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America raised its price target on UnitedHealth Group and kept a Buy rating, reinforcing the view that the stock still has upside after a strong recent run. BofA Raises PT on UnitedHealth Group (UNH), Keeps a Buy Rating
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley said UnitedHealth is likely to beat second-quarter earnings expectations, citing favorable utilization trends that could support results and sentiment heading into the report. UnitedHealth to Top Second-Quarter Earnings Views on Favorable Utilization Trends, Morgan Stanley Says
• Positive Sentiment: UNH has continued to attract momentum traders after a sharp rally, with coverage noting a golden cross technical pattern and shares trading near recent highs, which can draw additional buying interest. Up by 80%, does the UnitedHealth Group have more upside?
• Neutral Sentiment: UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Nebraska announced $385,000 in community investments to expand support for older adults, caregivers, people with disabilities, and workforce programs. The move is positive for reputation, but it is unlikely to materially affect near-term earnings. UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Nebraska Invests $385,000 to Expand Programs to Support Older Adults, Caregivers and People with Disabilities
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent articles highlighting UNH as a stock to watch and a potential buy before second-quarter results reflect investor attention ahead of earnings, but they do not add new fundamental information. Should You Buy UnitedHealth Group Stock Before July 16?
• Negative Sentiment: Broader commentary noted that Wall Street has issued downbeat forecasts on some stocks in the healthcare group, which could keep some caution in the market even if UNH-specific sentiment remains constructive. 2 Unpopular Stocks That Deserve a Second Chance and 1 We Avoid

UnitedHealth Group Stock Down 0.9%

Shares of NYSE:UNH opened at $415.97 on Wednesday. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 52-week low of $234.60 and a 52-week high of $427.93. The stock has a market cap of $377.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.42, a PEG ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 0.64. The business has a fifty day moving average of $387.82 and a two-hundred day moving average of $333.79. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The healthcare conglomerate reported $7.23 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $111.65 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $109.84 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $7.20 EPS. The company's revenue was up 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 18.250- EPS. On average, research analysts expect that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 18.32 earnings per share for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 23rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th were issued a dividend of $2.32 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 15th. This represents a $9.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. This is an increase from UnitedHealth Group's previous quarterly dividend of $2.21. UnitedHealth Group's payout ratio is 70.09%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have commented on the company. Barclays boosted their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $373.00 to $429.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 26th. Argus upgraded UnitedHealth Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $400.00 price target for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. HSBC upgraded UnitedHealth Group from a "reduce" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $300.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. UBS Group upped their target price 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. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $340.00 to $373.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have given a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $411.42.

Insider Activity at UnitedHealth Group

In related news, CEO Patrick Hugh Conway sold 800 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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. This represents a 4.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.28% of the company's stock.

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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