UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH Stock Position Raised by S&CO Inc.

Key Points

• S&CO Inc. increased its UnitedHealth Group stake by 8.3% in the first quarter, ending with 44,072 shares valued at about $11.9 million.
• UnitedHealth reported a strong Q2 earnings beat, posting $6.38 EPS versus $4.94 expected and revenue of $112.03 billion, while also raising its FY 2026 EPS guidance to $19.50-$20.00.
• Investor sentiment improved after the results, with several analysts raising price targets and the company increasing its quarterly dividend to $2.32 per share and doubling its 2026 buyback target to at least $5 billion.

S&CO Inc. raised its stake in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 8.3% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 44,072 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after acquiring an additional 3,385 shares during the period. S&CO Inc.'s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $11,925,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank bought a new stake in UnitedHealth Group in the fourth quarter valued at $4,376,167,000. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 141.9% in the 4th quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,109,029 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $1,356,432,000 after acquiring an additional 2,410,128 shares during the period. Cardano Risk Management B.V. boosted its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 864.4% during the 4th quarter. Cardano Risk Management B.V. now owns 2,523,700 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $833,099,000 after purchasing an additional 2,262,006 shares during the period. Hsbc Holdings PLC raised its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 87.5% during the fourth quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 3,916,041 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $1,294,367,000 after buying an additional 1,826,948 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Lone Pine Capital LLC bought a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $528,273,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.86% of the company's stock.

Trending Headlines about UnitedHealth Group

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

• Positive Sentiment: UnitedHealth beat Q2 estimates on earnings and revenue, driven by improved margins and lower medical costs, and raised its 2026 profit outlook. UnitedHealth shares surge on strong earnings beat and guidance
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley, Oppenheimer, UBS, RBC, and other firms lifted price targets after the results, signaling stronger Street confidence in the stock’s recovery. Analyst price target updates
• Positive Sentiment: Management doubled the 2026 share repurchase target to at least $5 billion, which may help support EPS and investor returns. What’s Fueling UNH Stock’s Rally? A Bigger Buyback, Higher Guidance – And CEO Says Turnaround Is ‘Returning To Form’
• Neutral Sentiment: Commentary around the earnings call says Medicare Advantage and Optum are improving, but commercial cost pressures could delay a full margin recovery. UnitedHealth Q2 Earnings Call Focuses on Reset and Durable Growth
• Negative Sentiment: Some analysts remain cautious, with at least one downgrade noting that the turnaround still faces execution risk despite the stronger quarter. UnitedHealth Group Q2: The Real Test Begins Now (Downgrade)

UnitedHealth Group Price Performance

NYSE:UNH opened at $426.39 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The business's 50-day moving average price is $404.81 and its 200 day moving average price is $342.28. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 52-week low of $234.60 and a 52-week high of $461.62. The firm has a market cap of $387.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.44, a PEG ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.62.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 16th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.38 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.94 by $1.44. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 3.14% and a return on equity of 16.53%. The company had revenue of $112.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $110.81 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $4.08 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up .4% on a year-over-year basis. 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 18.77 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Increases Dividend

The business 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 an increase from UnitedHealth Group's previous quarterly dividend of $2.21. This represents a $9.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 15th. UnitedHealth Group's dividend payout ratio is currently 70.09%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have weighed in on UNH. Piper Sandler set a $477.00 target price on UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Thursday. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an "outperform" rating on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Tuesday, June 23rd. Robert W. Baird upgraded shares of UnitedHealth Group from an "underperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and increased their target price for the company from $287.00 to $453.00 in a research report on Thursday. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $468.00 to $529.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an "overweight" rating on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Thursday, June 11th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have issued a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, UnitedHealth Group currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $447.29.

Insider Activity at UnitedHealth Group

In other news, CEO Patrick Hugh Conway sold 800 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 17,805 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,320,775. This trade represents a 4.30% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 0.28% of the company's stock.

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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