UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH Stock Position Decreased by William Blair Investment Management LLC

Key Points

• William Blair Investment Management trimmed its UnitedHealth position by 0.8% in the fourth quarter, selling 6,292 shares and leaving it with 762,243 shares valued at about $251.6 million.
• Several other institutional investors increased their UNH stakes, and hedge funds now own 87.86% of the stock, showing continued strong institutional interest despite the small reduction by William Blair.
• Analyst sentiment remains mostly positive: UBS raised its price target to $460 and kept a Buy rating, while the consensus Wall Street view is a Moderate Buy with an average target of $387.57.

William Blair Investment Management LLC cut its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 0.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 762,243 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after selling 6,292 shares during the period. UnitedHealth Group accounts for about 0.7% of William Blair Investment Management LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 28th largest position. William Blair Investment Management LLC owned approximately 0.08% of UnitedHealth Group worth $251,624,000 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 UNH. Brighton Jones LLC raised its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 176.2% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 44,249 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $22,384,000 after purchasing an additional 28,231 shares in the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 137.1% in the 4th quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 4,019 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $2,033,000 after acquiring an additional 2,324 shares in the last quarter. CMT Capital Markets Trading GmbH bought a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $340,000. Flow Traders U.S. LLC bought a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $356,000. Finally, Jump Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $377,000. 87.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

UnitedHealth Group News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: UBS raised its price target on UnitedHealth Group to $460 from $410 and reiterated a Buy rating, signaling meaningful upside from current levels. Benzinga report on UBS target increase
• Positive Sentiment: UnitedHealth was highlighted by multiple outlets as a high-quality stock and a turnaround bet, with commentary noting that managed care is outgrowing the broader economy and that the company is benefiting from AI adoption in operations. Motley Fool article on AI and turnaround
• Neutral Sentiment: UnitedHealth also appeared in a hedge-fund “high quality stocks” list and a Goldman Sachs conviction-list discussion, which supports the stock’s investment case but does not change fundamentals on its own. InsiderMonkey article on turnaround case
• Negative Sentiment: There is still headline risk around Medicare Advantage overpayments, with a Congressional committee estimating about $7 billion annually in excess payments to private insurers, which could keep regulatory scrutiny on managed-care names like UNH. 247WallSt article on Medicare Advantage overpayments
• Negative Sentiment: Recent discussion also noted that Berkshire-linked selling contributed to a prior stock slide, underscoring that investor sentiment can still turn quickly. Barchart article on Berkshire stake sale

UnitedHealth Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:UNH opened at $388.42 on Friday. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 1-year low of $234.60 and a 1-year high of $404.15. The firm has a market capitalization of $352.74 billion, a PE ratio of 29.34, a PEG ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 0.64. The business's 50 day moving average is $326.93 and its 200-day moving average is $319.63. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick 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 data on Tuesday, April 21st. The healthcare conglomerate reported $7.23 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.76 by $0.47. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 14.65% and a net margin of 2.68%.The company had revenue of $111.65 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $109.84 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $7.20 EPS. UnitedHealth Group's revenue for the quarter was up 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 18.250- EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 18.29 earnings per share for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 9th were issued a dividend of $2.21 per share. This represents a $8.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 9th. UnitedHealth Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 66.77%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on UNH shares. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $405.00 to $411.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $361.00 to $400.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $340.00 to $373.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 20th. UBS Group raised their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $410.00 to $460.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday. Finally, HSBC raised UnitedHealth Group from a "reduce" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $300.00 target price on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have assigned a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $387.57.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Patrick Hugh Conway sold 800 shares of the business's stock in a transaction 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 sale, the chief executive officer owned 17,805 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,320,775. The trade was a 4.30% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.28% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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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