Western Wealth Management LLC Buys 5,232 Shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH

Key Points

• Western Wealth Management increased its UnitedHealth Group stake by 61.3% in the first quarter, buying 5,232 additional shares for a total of 13,769 shares valued at $3.73 million. Institutional investors collectively own 87.86% of UNH.
• UnitedHealth reported quarterly EPS of $6.38, beating estimates by $1.44, while revenue reached $112.03 billion. The company maintained fiscal 2026 EPS guidance of $19.50–$20.00, and analysts expect about $19.71 for the year.
• UNH shares opened at $414.82, with a consensus analyst rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $455.92. UnitedHealth also raised its quarterly dividend to $2.32 per share, equivalent to a 2.2% annual yield.

Western Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 61.3% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 13,769 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after purchasing an additional 5,232 shares during the period. Western Wealth Management LLC's holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $3,726,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vaughan David Investments LLC IL boosted its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 2.7% in the fourth quarter. Vaughan David Investments LLC IL now owns 150,773 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $49,772,000 after acquiring an additional 3,934 shares during the period. Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. lifted its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 1,287.2% in the 1st quarter. Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. now owns 60,022 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $16,241,000 after purchasing an additional 55,695 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 91,600,260 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $30,238,162,000 after buying an additional 995,210 shares in the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. raised its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 8.7% during the fourth quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. now owns 102,260 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $33,757,000 after buying an additional 8,226 shares during the last quarter. Finally, FNY Investment Advisers LLC boosted its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 106.6% during the fourth quarter. FNY Investment Advisers LLC now owns 32,375 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $10,687,000 after acquiring an additional 16,703 shares during the last quarter. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key UnitedHealth Group News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts at Zacks Research raised EPS forecasts for several future periods, including Q3 2026, Q1 2027, Q3 2027, Q4 2027, and Q1 2028. Zacks maintained a “Strong Buy” rating, reinforcing expectations for an earnings recovery.
• Positive Sentiment: Erste Group Bank increased its FY2026 EPS estimate to $19.85 from $18.33 and its FY2027 estimate to $22.44 from $20.87, maintaining a “Buy” rating. MarketBeat UnitedHealth analyst estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Recent coverage highlights UNH’s second-quarter earnings beat, lower medical-cost ratio, improved margins, and raised 2026 guidance as evidence that the company’s turnaround is gaining traction. Its diversified Optum platform and growing use of artificial intelligence are also viewed as longer-term strengths. UnitedHealth turnaround signal
• Positive Sentiment: A separate valuation update lifted the estimated fair value from $424.23 to $475.23, reflecting improved Medicare Advantage and Optum Health assumptions. The average brokerage recommendation remains equivalent to “Buy,” although the usefulness of broadly positive analyst ratings is questioned. UnitedHealth fair value update
• Neutral Sentiment: Commentary says the recent stock advance reflects a Medicare Advantage repricing strategy that management outlined months earlier, suggesting the market is reassessing earnings power rather than responding to a new operational announcement. UnitedHealth Medicare Advantage repricing analysis
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks reduced its Q4 2026 EPS estimate to $2.25 from $2.47 and trimmed its Q2 2028 forecast to $5.84 from $5.92. These isolated cuts may be contributing to caution even as the firm remains bullish overall.
• Negative Sentiment: UnitedHealth faces scrutiny over surprise-billing dispute costs, while broader risks include commercial-market trends, Medicaid exposure, and regulation. Medicare Advantage insurers are also redesigning 2027 plans, potentially affecting enrollment, benefits, and member retention. Cigna and UnitedHealth cost coverage

UnitedHealth Group Price Performance

UnitedHealth Group stock opened at $414.82 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $376.72 billion, a PE ratio of 26.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 0.62. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 12-month low of $234.60 and a 12-month high of $461.62. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $411.39 and a 200-day moving average price of $348.26. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66.

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, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $110.81 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $4.08 EPS. The firm'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 research analysts forecast that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 19.71 EPS for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

UNH has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Weiss Ratings cut shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research note on Tuesday. UBS Group lifted their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $460.00 to $490.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, July 17th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $340.00 to $373.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, April 20th. TD Cowen lifted 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. Finally, Piper Sandler set a $477.00 target price on UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have issued a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $455.92.

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding UNH? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report).

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.