UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH Stock: BG Investment Services LLC Raises Position

Key Points

• BG Investment Services LLC increased its UnitedHealth position by 1,629.4% in the third quarter, ending with 21,375 shares valued at approximately $7.85 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 87.86% of UNH.
• UnitedHealth exceeded quarterly expectations with adjusted EPS of $4.69 and revenue of $112.7 billion, while raising its 2026 adjusted EPS outlook to at least $20.50. Optum Health profit also rose to $735 million, supporting the company’s recovery.
• Analysts remain broadly positive, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and a $463.80 price target, but higher projected 2027 Medicare costs could pressure margins. The company also pays a quarterly dividend of $2.32 per share, yielding about 2.2% annually.

BG Investment Services LLC lifted its stake in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 1,629.4% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 21,375 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after buying an additional 20,139 shares during the period. UnitedHealth Group makes up 1.2% of BG Investment Services LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 21st largest holding. BG Investment Services LLC's holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $7,846,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of UNH. BlackRock Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 4.6% in the 2nd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 76,863,061 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $31,946,594,000 after purchasing an additional 3,395,530 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 0.7% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 45,633,267 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $18,966,555,000 after buying an additional 301,081 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 6.1% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 10,704,994 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $4,449,317,000 after buying an additional 616,723 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its position in UnitedHealth Group by 5.8% during the second quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 10,675,175 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $4,436,923,000 after buying an additional 583,536 shares during the period. Finally, Corient Private Wealth LP lifted its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 1,443.7% in the second quarter. Corient Private Wealth LP now owns 8,447,224 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $3,510,920,000 after buying an additional 7,900,011 shares during the last quarter. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key UnitedHealth Group News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Third-quarter beat and raised outlook support the shares. Adjusted EPS rose approximately 61% to $4.69, exceeding the $4.14 consensus estimate, while revenue reached $112.7 billion versus expectations of $111.3 billion. Management raised its 2026 adjusted EPS outlook to at least $20.50, reinforcing investor confidence in its cost controls and execution. UnitedHealth beat-and-raise quarter
• Positive Sentiment: Optum Health’s performance improved materially. The unit’s profit increased to $735 million, helping demonstrate operating leverage and contributing to UnitedHealth’s post-earnings recovery. Optum Health profit surge
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst expectations and valuation support remain favorable. Erste Group raised its FY2026 EPS estimate to $20.55 from $19.86 and its FY2027 estimate to $23.29 from $22.51. Mizuho also lifted its price target to $500 from $493 and maintained an “outperform” rating, implying additional upside from the referenced price. Mizuho raises UnitedHealth price target
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor attention and value-based coverage may increase trading interest. Zacks highlighted heightened investor attention and characterized UNH as a value stock, but these are sentiment and screening signals rather than new fundamental developments. Zacks value-stock analysis
• Negative Sentiment: Higher 2027 Medicare costs could pressure affordability and margins. The planned increase in costs for seniors may create political and utilization concerns, potentially offsetting some of the recent earnings momentum. Healthcare stocks also faced broader sector pressure in recent trading. UnitedHealth 2027 Medicare costs

UnitedHealth Group Stock Down 1.7%

UnitedHealth Group stock opened at $417.97 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $388.47 and a two-hundred day moving average of $389.72. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a twelve month low of $255.96 and a twelve month high of $461.62. The stock has a market capitalization of $375.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.87, a PEG ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 0.60. The company has a current ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, October 13th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $4.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $4.14 by $0.55. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 17.95% and a net margin of 3.53%. The business had revenue of $112.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $111.31 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.59 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was down .4% compared to the same quarter last year. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 20.500- EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 20.62 earnings per share for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 22nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 14th were paid a dividend of $2.32 per share. This represents a $9.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 14th. UnitedHealth Group's payout ratio is 53.00%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently weighed in on UNH. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $435.00 to $490.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, July 17th. HC Wainwright set a $500.00 target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Friday, October 16th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $401.00 to $490.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, July 17th. UBS Group reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Tuesday, October 13th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $478.00 to $498.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday. Twenty equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $463.80.

Insider Activity at UnitedHealth Group

In related news, CEO Patrick Conway sold 1,169 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, August 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $390.00, for a total transaction of $455,910.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 15,328 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,977,920. This represents a 7.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.19% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

UnitedHealth Group Profile

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated NYSE: UNH is a diversified health care company that provides health insurance coverage, health care services, pharmacy services and health technology. Its businesses serve individuals, employers, government programs, health care providers and other organizations, primarily in the United States.

The company operates through two principal businesses. UnitedHealthcare offers health benefit plans and related services for employers, individuals, families and government-sponsored programs, including Medicare and Medicaid.

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