UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH Stake Boosted by Madison Asset Management LLC

Key Points

• Madison Asset Management increased its UnitedHealth position by 16.6% in the first quarter, buying 5,923 more shares and lifting its stake to 41,546 shares valued at about $11.24 million.
• UnitedHealth reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $6.38 versus the $4.94 estimate and revenue of $112.03 billion, while also raising its quarterly dividend to $2.32 per share.
• Analyst sentiment remains broadly bullish, with several firms raising price targets and the stock carrying an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $455.92.

Madison Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 16.6% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 41,546 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after purchasing an additional 5,923 shares during the period. Madison Asset Management LLC's holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $11,242,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Johnson Financial Group Inc. grew its position in UnitedHealth Group by 2.2% in the first quarter. Johnson Financial Group Inc. now owns 15,029 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $4,067,000 after acquiring an additional 329 shares in the last quarter. Element Pointe Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 6.2% in the 1st quarter. Element Pointe Advisors LLC now owns 2,353 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $637,000 after purchasing an additional 138 shares during the last quarter. JSF Financial LLC bought a new stake in UnitedHealth Group in the first quarter worth $506,000. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI raised its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 44.0% during the first quarter. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI now owns 99,608 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $26,953,000 after buying an additional 30,432 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Florida Financial Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 22.0% during the 1st quarter. Florida Financial Advisors LLC now owns 2,257 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $611,000 after acquiring an additional 407 shares in the last quarter. 87.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UNH has been the subject of several analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets set a $512.00 target price on UnitedHealth Group in a report on Tuesday. HSBC boosted their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $300.00 to $380.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Barclays raised their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $429.00 to $441.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday. Oppenheimer upped their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $420.00 to $500.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, July 17th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded UnitedHealth Group from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research note on Friday, July 10th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have assigned a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $455.92.

UnitedHealth Group Trading Up 3.5%

Shares of UNH stock opened at $436.19 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $396.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 0.62. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 1 year low of $234.60 and a 1 year high of $461.62. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $406.35 and its 200 day simple moving average is $343.75. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 16th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 business's quarterly revenue was up .4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $4.08 EPS. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 19.500-20.000 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 19.59 EPS for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 23rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th were issued a $2.32 dividend. This is a positive change from UnitedHealth Group's previous quarterly dividend of $2.21. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 15th. This represents a $9.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. UnitedHealth Group's payout ratio is currently 59.72%.

More UnitedHealth Group News

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

• Positive Sentiment: UnitedHealth was upgraded to Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), signaling improving earnings expectations and adding to bullish sentiment around the stock. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan raised its price target on UNH to $516 and reiterated an Overweight rating, reinforcing the view that the stock still has meaningful upside after its recent rally. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Several articles highlighted UnitedHealth’s strong Q2 performance, including better-than-expected earnings, raised guidance, and a larger share buyback authorization, all of which support the bullish case. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Reports framed UNH as a defensive healthcare leader benefiting from market rotation away from AI stocks, with analysts also calling it a strong momentum name and a stable dividend pick. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: The House passed a bill focused on provider accountability and fraud prevention in federal health programs; the article noted UNH could be affected by tighter oversight, but the near-term stock impact is unclear. Article Title

Insider Activity at UnitedHealth Group

In other news, CEO Patrick Hugh Conway sold 800 shares of UnitedHealth Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $355.00, for a total transaction of $284,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 17,805 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,320,775. This trade represents a 4.30% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.19% of the company's stock.

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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