Van Den Berg Management I Inc. Grows Stock Holdings in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH

Key Points

• Van Den Berg Management I Inc. increased its UnitedHealth Group stake by 10.6% in the first quarter, buying 2,765 additional shares and bringing its total holdings to 28,888 shares worth about $7.8 million.
• Several other institutional investors also boosted their UNH positions, and 87.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutions, underscoring strong professional ownership.
• UnitedHealth beat quarterly earnings expectations with $6.38 EPS versus $4.94 expected and raised full-year guidance, while analysts remained broadly constructive with an average “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $455.92.

Van Den Berg Management I Inc. grew its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 10.6% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 28,888 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after purchasing an additional 2,765 shares during the quarter. UnitedHealth Group makes up about 1.8% of Van Den Berg Management I Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 22nd biggest position. Van Den Berg Management I Inc.'s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $7,817,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Unisphere Establishment increased its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 14.3% during the 1st quarter. Unisphere Establishment now owns 400,000 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $108,236,000 after acquiring an additional 50,000 shares during the last quarter. TCM Advisors LLC grew its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 39.6% in the first quarter. TCM Advisors LLC now owns 3,000 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $812,000 after purchasing an additional 851 shares during the period. Bridgewater Advisors Inc. raised its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 9.0% during the first quarter. Bridgewater Advisors Inc. now owns 4,637 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $1,379,000 after purchasing an additional 383 shares during the period. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund grew its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 5.7% during the 1st quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 306,895 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $83,043,000 after buying an additional 16,526 shares during the period. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC increased its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 45.4% during the 1st quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 1,158,428 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $313,459,000 after buying an additional 361,678 shares during the last quarter. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UNH has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $468.00 to $529.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, July 17th. DA Davidson set a $512.00 target price on UnitedHealth Group in a report on Tuesday. Raymond James Financial upgraded shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $330.00 price target on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. HSBC increased their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $300.00 to $380.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $337.00 to $430.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have given a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $455.92.

Trending Headlines about UnitedHealth Group

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

• Positive Sentiment: UnitedHealth’s latest quarter beat profit estimates and management raised full-year earnings guidance, reinforcing confidence that the business is recovering after earlier pressure. UnitedHealth’s earnings comeback hides risk Wall Street can’t price
• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan reportedly increased its price target on UNH to $516, suggesting analysts see further upside following the improved earnings outlook. JPMorgan Chase & Co. Increases UnitedHealth Group NYSE: UNH Price Target to $516.00
• Positive Sentiment: UNH has also been highlighted in multiple stock-screening and momentum pieces as a “buy” or strong momentum name, which can add to near-term trading interest. Is Trending Stock UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (UNH) a Buy Now?
• Neutral Sentiment: UnitedHealth is being widely watched by retail and institutional investors after the strong quarter, but some of the recent articles are primarily commentary rather than new company-specific developments. Is Trending Stock UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (UNH) a Buy Now?
• Negative Sentiment: Even with the upbeat earnings update, investors are still focused on risk factors such as medical cost inflation and margin pressure across the managed-care sector, which could limit how far the rally extends. Can Humana Beat Q2 Earnings Estimates on Growing Premiums?

UnitedHealth Group Stock Down 0.7%

Shares of UnitedHealth Group stock opened at $420.40 on Friday. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 1-year low of $234.60 and a 1-year high of $461.62. The company has a market capitalization of $381.78 billion, a PE ratio of 27.05, a P/E/G ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 0.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.80. The business has a 50-day moving average of $408.00 and a 200-day moving average of $345.60.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 16th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.38 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $4.94 by $1.44. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 16.53% and a net margin of 3.14%.The firm had revenue of $112.03 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $110.81 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $4.08 earnings per share. UnitedHealth Group'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, equities analysts forecast that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 19.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 23rd. Investors of record on Monday, June 15th were paid a $2.32 dividend. This represents a $9.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. This is a boost from UnitedHealth Group's previous quarterly dividend of $2.21. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 15th. UnitedHealth Group's payout ratio is presently 59.72%.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.