Westpac Banking Corp Lowers Stock Position in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH

Key Points

• Westpac Banking Corp cut its UnitedHealth Group stake by 13.9% in the first quarter, selling 2,996 shares and leaving it with 18,548 shares valued at about $5.0 million.
• Analyst sentiment remains positive overall: multiple firms reiterated bullish views, and UnitedHealth now carries a Moderate Buy consensus with an average price target of $455.92.
• UnitedHealth reported strong quarterly results, beating EPS estimates with $6.38 per share and posting revenue of $112.03 billion, while also raising its quarterly dividend to $2.32 per share.

Westpac Banking Corp decreased its holdings in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 13.9% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 18,548 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after selling 2,996 shares during the quarter. Westpac Banking Corp's holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $5,019,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 91,600,260 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $30,238,162,000 after buying an additional 995,210 shares during the period. State Street Corp lifted its position in UnitedHealth Group by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 45,232,170 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $14,931,592,000 after acquiring an additional 1,119,834 shares during the period. Capital World Investors grew its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 3.8% in the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 22,591,042 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $7,457,723,000 after purchasing an additional 824,120 shares during the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 3.7% during the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 18,829,054 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $6,215,660,000 after purchasing an additional 680,077 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Capital International Investors grew its position in UnitedHealth Group by 6.6% in the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 18,655,111 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $6,158,734,000 after buying an additional 1,155,162 shares during the last quarter. 87.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on UNH. HC Wainwright set a $492.00 target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Bank of America reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Monday. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an "outperform" rating on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Tuesday. Weiss Ratings upgraded UnitedHealth Group from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have assigned a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, UnitedHealth Group presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $455.92.

UnitedHealth Group News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: UnitedHealth was upgraded to Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), signaling improving earnings expectations and adding to bullish sentiment around the stock. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan raised its price target on UNH to $516 and reiterated an Overweight rating, reinforcing the view that the stock still has meaningful upside after its recent rally. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Several articles highlighted UnitedHealth’s strong Q2 performance, including better-than-expected earnings, raised guidance, and a larger share buyback authorization, all of which support the bullish case. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Reports framed UNH as a defensive healthcare leader benefiting from market rotation away from AI stocks, with analysts also calling it a strong momentum name and a stable dividend pick. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: The House passed a bill focused on provider accountability and fraud prevention in federal health programs; the article noted UNH could be affected by tighter oversight, but the near-term stock impact is unclear. Article Title

Insider Transactions at UnitedHealth Group

In related news, CEO Patrick Hugh Conway sold 800 shares of the company's 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 represents a 4.30% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.19% of the company's stock.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Up 3.5%

UnitedHealth Group stock opened at $436.19 on Wednesday. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $234.60 and a fifty-two week high of $461.62. The firm has a market capitalization of $396.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 0.62. The stock's fifty day moving average is $406.35 and its two-hundred day moving average is $343.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 0.78.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 16th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.38 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $112.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $110.81 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $4.08 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up .4% compared to the same quarter last year. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 19.500-20.000 EPS. Analysts predict that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 19.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 23rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th were paid a dividend of $2.32 per share. This is a positive change from UnitedHealth Group's previous quarterly dividend of $2.21. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 15th. This represents a $9.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. UnitedHealth Group's dividend payout ratio is 59.72%.

UnitedHealth Group 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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