UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH Stock: Candriam S.C.A. Raises Stake

Key Points

• Candriam S.C.A. increased its UnitedHealth stake by 4.5% in the third quarter, adding 13,778 shares to hold 323,073 shares valued at about $119 million. Institutional investors own 87.86% of the stock.
• UnitedHealth’s latest quarter beat estimates, reporting EPS of $4.69 versus $4.14 expected and revenue of $112.72 billion versus $111.31 billion forecast. The company declared a quarterly dividend of $2.32 per share, equivalent to a 2.4% annualized yield.
• Analysts’ consensus rating is “Moderate Buy”, with a $463.93 average price target. Utilization, regulatory and policy concerns remain potential risks.

Candriam S.C.A. lifted its holdings in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 4.5% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 323,073 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after buying an additional 13,778 shares during the quarter. Candriam S.C.A.'s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $119,027,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. City State Bank lifted its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 5.6% during the 3rd quarter. City State Bank now owns 471 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $173,000 after buying an additional 25 shares in the last quarter. Murphy Pohlad Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 0.5% during the third quarter. Murphy Pohlad Asset Management LLC now owns 5,305 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $1,947,000 after acquiring an additional 25 shares during the period. LFG Wealth Partners LLC boosted its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 3.3% in the second quarter. LFG Wealth Partners LLC now owns 853 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $355,000 after acquiring an additional 27 shares during the last quarter. Synergy Financial Group LTD increased its position in UnitedHealth Group by 3.1% in the second quarter. Synergy Financial Group LTD now owns 887 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $369,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares during the period. Finally, Ares Financial Consulting LLC increased its position in UnitedHealth Group by 7.2% in the second quarter. Ares Financial Consulting LLC now owns 419 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $174,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares during the period. 87.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UNH has been the topic of a number of research reports. Raymond James Financial restated an "outperform" rating and set a $450.00 target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Thursday, October 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $516.00 to $524.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, October 16th. Bank of America reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $450.00 price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Monday, July 20th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $526.00 to $487.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 27th. Finally, Oppenheimer increased their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $420.00 to $500.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Twenty investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $463.93.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Down 0.4%

Shares of NYSE:UNH opened at $394.14 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $390.62 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $364.03. The company has a market capitalization of $353.16 billion, a PE ratio of 22.51, a PEG ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 0.51. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 52 week low of $255.96 and a 52 week high of $461.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a current ratio of 0.74.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, October 13th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $4.69 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.14 by $0.55. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 17.95% and a net margin of 3.53%. The firm had revenue of $112.72 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $111.31 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.59 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was down .4% on a year-over-year basis. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 20.500- EPS. Analysts forecast that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 20.61 earnings per share for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 15th. Investors of record on Monday, December 7th will be paid a dividend of $2.32 per share. This represents a $9.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 7th. UnitedHealth Group's dividend payout ratio is presently 53.00%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Patrick Conway sold 1,169 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $390.00, for a total value of $455,910.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 15,328 shares in the company, valued at $5,977,920. This represents a 7.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.19% of the company's stock.

Key Stories Impacting UnitedHealth Group

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

• Positive Sentiment: ETFs purchased $56.4 million of UNH shares on Nov. 4, a potentially supportive demand signal. ETFs Are Buying UnitedHealth (UNH) on Nov. 4
• Positive Sentiment: UnitedHealth’s Q3 adjusted EPS of $4.69 topped analyst expectations, and a recent earnings analysis said the results bolstered confidence in a margin recovery. UnitedHealth (UNH) Q3 Earnings Lift Confidence In Margin Recovery
• Positive Sentiment: A Zacks article characterized Wall Street analysts’ view of UNH as a Buy, offering a favorable sentiment signal, though the article summary did not cite a specific new rating change. Wall Street Analysts See UnitedHealth (UNH) as a Buy: Should You Invest?
• Positive Sentiment: The company declared a quarterly dividend of $2.32 per share, equivalent to $9.28 annually and a reported yield of 2.3%. UnitedHealth Group Declares Quarterly Dividend Of $2.32 Per Share
• Negative Sentiment: Utilization and policy concerns remain an overhang for the company, highlighting uncertainty around medical costs and the regulatory environment. Utilization and Policy Concerns Weigh on UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (UNH)
• Negative Sentiment: Renewed calls for a regulatory review of UnitedHealth’s business scale, alongside warnings that AI could disrupt large healthcare companies, add longer-term risk concerns. UnitedHealth Group (UNH) Draws Breakup Pressure As AI Threat Enters The Story

UnitedHealth Group Profile

UnitedHealth Group is a diversified health care company that provides health benefits and health services through two main businesses: UnitedHealthcare and Optum. UnitedHealthcare offers health insurance and related benefit plans to individuals, employers and government programs, including Medicare and Medicaid.

Optum provides services across the health care system, including care delivery, pharmacy services, pharmacy benefit management, health technology and data analytics. Its businesses serve consumers, health care providers, employers, health plans and government organizations.

Founded in 1977 as United HealthCare Corporation, the company is headquartered in Minnetonka, Minnesota.

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