UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH Stock Sold by Perpetual Ltd

Key Points

• Perpetual Ltd. reduced its UnitedHealth Group position by 6.8% in the third quarter, selling 5,704 shares and retaining 78,623 shares valued at approximately $28.9 million.
• Other major institutions, including BlackRock, State Street, Bank of America, Bank of New York Mellon and Wellington Management, increased their holdings; institutional investors collectively own 87.86% of UNH.
• Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus, with an average price target of $462.59, while investors continue to monitor medical-cost pressures and the company’s execution of its recovery strategy.

Perpetual Ltd decreased its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 6.8% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 78,623 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after selling 5,704 shares during the quarter. Perpetual Ltd's holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $28,861,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in UNH. BlackRock Inc. lifted its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 4.6% during the 2nd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 76,863,061 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $31,946,594,000 after acquiring an additional 3,395,530 shares during the period. State Street Corp grew its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 0.7% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 45,633,267 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $18,966,555,000 after acquiring an additional 301,081 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE raised its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 21.8% during the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 11,713,684 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $3,169,606,000 after purchasing an additional 2,097,859 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 6.1% during the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 10,704,994 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $4,449,317,000 after purchasing an additional 616,723 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP lifted 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 valued at $4,436,923,000 after purchasing an additional 583,536 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 87.86% of the company's stock.

UnitedHealth Group News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Significant earnings beat: Third-quarter net income rose to $4.11 billion, or $4.56 per share, from $2.35 billion, or $2.59 per share, a year earlier. Results exceeded Wall Street expectations by a wide margin. UnitedHealth Charts Continued Turnaround
• Positive Sentiment: Full-year outlook raised: Management increased its 2026 profit guidance, reinforcing confidence that cost controls and operational improvements can support earnings growth. The company’s previously stated guidance range was $19.50 to $20.00 in adjusted EPS. UnitedHealth Group tops estimates, hikes profit outlook as insurer manages high medical costs
• Positive Sentiment: Medical-cost trends improved: Spending on medical care, a major pressure point for insurers, showed signs of stabilizing. UnitedHealth also said investments in value-based care and artificial intelligence are beginning to contribute to performance. UnitedHealth Earnings Beat Wall Street Estimates. The Turnaround Continues.
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor focus remains on execution: Analysts had been watching for top-line growth, insurance margins and guidance after a difficult period for the sector. The latest report offers evidence of recovery, but investors will likely seek confirmation that the gains continue into 2027. UnitedHealth Q3 earnings in focus as investors look for top-line growth
• Negative Sentiment: Cost risks have not disappeared: UnitedHealth is still managing high medical expenses, leaving the stock sensitive to any renewed deterioration in utilization or insurance margins. Elevated expectations and recent volatility may also limit the immediate upside from the earnings beat.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Patrick Conway sold 1,169 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, August 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $390.00, for a total transaction of $455,910.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 15,328 shares in the company, valued at $5,977,920. This trade represents a 7.09% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.19% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UNH has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. KeyCorp lifted their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $400.00 to $475.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $370.00 to $467.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, July 17th. Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $477.00 to $499.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, July 17th. UBS Group upped their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $460.00 to $490.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $397.00 to $485.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. Twenty equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $462.59.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Performance

Shares of UNH opened at $377.98 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $388.03 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $381.81. The stock has a market cap of $339.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.32, a PEG ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 0.60. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 52 week low of $255.96 and a 52 week high of $461.62.

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 analysts' consensus estimates of $4.94 by $1.44. The firm had revenue of $112.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $110.81 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 16.53% and a net margin of 3.14%. The business's quarterly revenue was up .4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $4.08 EPS. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 19.500-20.000 EPS. On average, analysts expect that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 19.85 EPS for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 22nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 14th were given a $2.32 dividend. This represents a $9.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 14th. UnitedHealth Group's dividend payout ratio is presently 59.72%.

UnitedHealth Group Company Profile

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated NYSE: UNH is a diversified health care and well-being company serving individuals, employers, health care providers and government programs. Its operations are organized primarily through UnitedHealthcare and Optum.

UnitedHealthcare provides health benefit plans and services, including employer-sponsored coverage, individual and family plans, Medicare and Medicaid offerings, and other government-supported programs. Its services include health insurance administration, pharmacy benefits and care management.

Optum provides health care services, technology and data solutions, pharmacy services, and analytics to health plans, employers, government agencies, health care providers and consumers.

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