Verity & Verity LLC Takes $1.07 Million Position in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH

Key Points

• Verity & Verity LLC opened a new position in UnitedHealth Group during the fourth quarter, buying 3,226 shares valued at about $1.07 million.
• Several analysts turned more bullish on UNH, including Bernstein raising its price target to $492 and maintaining an Outperform rating, while the overall consensus remains a Moderate Buy.
• UnitedHealth is facing a mix of positive and negative headlines: it plans to remove prior authorization requirements for many pediatric services, but it is also dealing with a Massachusetts lawsuit alleging Medicaid fraud tied to a unit of the company.

Verity & Verity LLC purchased a new stake in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 3,226 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock, valued at approximately $1,065,000.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Founders Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 3.0% in the fourth quarter. Founders Capital Management LLC now owns 982 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $324,000 after acquiring an additional 29 shares during the last quarter. Kellett Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Kellett Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,746 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $576,000 after buying an additional 29 shares during the last quarter. Cooper Financial Group boosted its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Cooper Financial Group now owns 4,338 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $1,432,000 after buying an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. Successful Portfolios LLC boosted its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. Successful Portfolios LLC now owns 1,194 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $411,000 after buying an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Auxano Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 3.4% during the third quarter. Auxano Advisors LLC now owns 964 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $333,000 after buying an additional 32 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.86% of the company's stock.

Key UnitedHealth Group News

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

• Positive Sentiment: UnitedHealthcare said it will eliminate prior authorization requirements for nearly two-thirds of pediatric services by year-end. That could reduce administrative friction, improve patient/provider relations, and support customer satisfaction. Reuters article
• Positive Sentiment: Bernstein raised its price target on UNH to $492 from $444 and kept an Outperform rating, citing an EPS recovery outlook. Higher price targets from analysts can help reinforce investor confidence. Yahoo Finance article
• Neutral Sentiment: Berkshire Hathaway fully exited its UNH stake, which is drawing attention to valuation and regulatory risks. While not necessarily a fundamental change, the sale may weigh on sentiment around the stock. Yahoo Finance article
• Negative Sentiment: Massachusetts filed a lawsuit against a UnitedHealth insurance unit, alleging more than $100 million in Medicaid fraud tied to inflated illness severity claims. The lawsuit adds legal and reputational risk for UNH. Investing.com article

Insider Transactions at UnitedHealth Group

In related news, CEO Patrick Hugh Conway sold 800 shares of UnitedHealth Group stock in a transaction that occurred 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 approximately $6,320,775. This trade represents a 4.30% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.28% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Oppenheimer raised their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $385.00 to $405.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Erste Group Bank upgraded UnitedHealth Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 27th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $361.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. HSBC upgraded UnitedHealth Group from a "reduce" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $300.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded UnitedHealth Group from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have assigned a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $397.63.

UnitedHealth Group Trading Down 0.7%

NYSE:UNH opened at $379.70 on Friday. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $234.60 and a fifty-two week high of $404.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.80. The stock has a market capitalization of $344.82 billion, a PE ratio of 28.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 0.64. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $336.85 and its 200-day simple moving average is $321.55.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The healthcare conglomerate reported $7.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $6.76 by $0.47. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 14.65% and a net margin of 2.68%.The business 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 expect that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 18.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Company 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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