UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) Shares Climb 1.3% - What's Next?

Key Points

• UnitedHealth shares rose 1.3% to about $409.63, with trading volume 31% above its daily average.
• Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus, with an average price target of $463.93; several firms recently raised their targets.
• The company beat quarterly earnings and revenue estimates, reporting $4.69 per share and $112.72 billion in revenue, though revenue declined 0.4% year over year.

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) was up 1.3% during trading on Wednesday. The stock traded as high as $416.02 and last traded at $409.6340. Approximately 9,517,059 shares traded hands during trading, an increase of 31% from the average daily volume of 7,241,977 shares. The stock had previously closed at $404.44.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently commented on UNH shares. Piper Sandler raised their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $502.00 to $504.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 14th. Truist Financial raised their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $440.00 to $480.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $529.00 to $531.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 27th. Weiss Ratings upgraded UnitedHealth Group from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 8th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 8th. Twenty research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, UnitedHealth Group presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $463.93.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Up 1.3%

The company has a fifty day moving average price of $390.47 and a 200-day moving average price of $363.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a current ratio of 0.74. The firm has a market capitalization of $367.68 billion, a PE ratio of 23.39, a PEG ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 0.51.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 13th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $4.69 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.14 by $0.55. The company had revenue of $112.72 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $111.31 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 17.95% and a net margin of 3.53%. The firm's revenue was down .4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.59 earnings per share. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 20.500- EPS. As a group, analysts expect that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 20.61 earnings per share for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 22nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 14th were issued a $2.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 14th. This represents a $9.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.3%. UnitedHealth Group's payout ratio is currently 53.00%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On UnitedHealth Group

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC now owns 30,935 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $11,356,000 after buying an additional 211 shares in the last quarter. Leuthold Group LLC purchased a new stake in UnitedHealth Group in the third quarter valued at $925,000. Retirement Systems of Alabama boosted its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 140.0% in the third quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 457,848 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $168,067,000 after acquiring an additional 267,068 shares in the last quarter. Clear Wave Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 4.1% in the third quarter. Clear Wave Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,592 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $584,000 after acquiring an additional 62 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC grew its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 11.1% during the third quarter. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC now owns 690 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $253,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares during the last quarter. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

UnitedHealth Group Company Profile

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated NYSE: UNH is a diversified health care company that provides health insurance coverage, health care services, pharmacy services and health technology. Its businesses serve individuals, employers, government programs, health care providers and other organizations, primarily in the United States.

The company operates through two principal businesses. UnitedHealthcare offers health benefit plans and related services for employers, individuals, families and government-sponsored programs, including Medicare and Medicaid.

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