UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH Stock Position Lifted by National Pension Service

Key Points

• National Pension Service increased its UnitedHealth Group stake by 2.3% in the fourth quarter, bringing its holdings to 1.92 million shares worth about $633.9 million.
• UnitedHealth reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $7.23 versus $6.76 expected and revenue of $111.65 billion versus $109.84 billion estimated. The company also reaffirmed guidance implying continued earnings strength.
• Despite a small daily decline, analysts remain broadly positive on UNH, with a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $397.63 after several firms raised their targets.

National Pension Service lifted its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 2.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,920,398 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after purchasing an additional 43,624 shares during the quarter. National Pension Service owned about 0.21% of UnitedHealth Group worth $633,943,000 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 stock. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 91,600,260 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $30,238,162,000 after acquiring an additional 995,210 shares in the last quarter. Capital World Investors lifted its position in UnitedHealth Group by 18.8% in the third quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 21,766,922 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $7,516,107,000 after purchasing an additional 3,439,182 shares during the period. Capital International Investors increased its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 11.1% during the 3rd quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 17,499,949 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $6,042,710,000 after purchasing an additional 1,747,337 shares during the period. Capital Research Global Investors lifted its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 126.9% in the third quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 13,042,049 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $4,503,419,000 after buying an additional 7,293,009 shares during the period. Finally, Dodge & Cox boosted its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 8.6% during the third quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 9,505,636 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $3,282,296,000 after buying an additional 755,076 shares in the last quarter. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Patrick Hugh Conway sold 800 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $355.00, for a total value of $284,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 17,805 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,320,775. This represents a 4.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.28% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

UnitedHealth Group Trading Down 0.5%

NYSE UNH opened at $382.28 on Friday. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $334.93 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $321.14. The stock has a market cap of $347.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.87, a PEG ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 0.64. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a twelve month low of $234.60 and a twelve month high of $404.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 0.80.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The healthcare conglomerate reported $7.23 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.76 by $0.47. The business had revenue of $111.65 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $109.84 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 14.65% and a net margin of 2.68%.UnitedHealth Group's revenue was up 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $7.20 earnings per share. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 18.250- EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 18.29 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

UNH has been the subject of several research reports. HSBC upgraded shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "reduce" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $300.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. Mizuho raised their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $410.00 to $440.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. UBS Group increased their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $410.00 to $460.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Weiss Ratings upgraded UnitedHealth Group from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $375.00 to $395.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have given a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, UnitedHealth Group has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $397.63.

More UnitedHealth Group News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Bernstein raised its price target on UnitedHealth Group (UNH) to $492 from $444 and reiterated an Outperform rating, citing an EPS recovery outlook and implying meaningful upside. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Bernstein also maintained its bullish stance after UnitedHealth’s new, more transparent PBM model, suggesting the move could improve clarity, reliability, and cost competitiveness for the company’s Optum Rx business. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage from Zacks and other market watchers says UNH is one of the most-tracked stocks right now, which can keep attention on the name and support sentiment if investors expect more upside. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Articles comparing UnitedHealth with Molina highlight that Molina’s Medicaid exposure and share gains currently look more attractive to some analysts, but these pieces are more relative-value commentary than a direct negative catalyst for UNH. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Seeking Alpha commentary on a possible dividend hike adds a shareholder-return angle, but it does not appear to be based on a confirmed corporate action yet. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent “trending stock” and “bull case” articles suggest investors are reassessing UNH’s outlook, but they are largely opinion pieces rather than new fundamental developments. Article Title

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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