Q1 EPS Forecast for UnitedHealth Group Decreased by Analyst

Key Points

• UnitedHealth Group's Q1 2026 EPS forecast has been decreased to $5.07 from a prior estimate of $5.09 by Leerink Partners analyst W. Mayo.
• The company recently declared a quarterly dividend of $2.21 per share, resulting in an annualized dividend yield of 2.5%.
• Despite mixed ratings from analysts, the consensus rating for UnitedHealth Group's stock is a "Moderate Buy" with a target price of $358.95.

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) - Research analysts at Leerink Partnrs decreased their Q1 2026 earnings estimates for UnitedHealth Group in a note issued to investors on Wednesday, September 24th. Leerink Partnrs analyst W. Mayo now forecasts that the healthcare conglomerate will post earnings of $5.07 per share for the quarter, down from their prior estimate of $5.09. The consensus estimate for UnitedHealth Group's current full-year earnings is $29.54 per share. Leerink Partnrs also issued estimates for UnitedHealth Group's Q3 2026 earnings at $3.93 EPS.

Other analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. Robert W. Baird reiterated an "underperform" rating and issued a $198.00 price objective (down previously from $312.00) on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $440.00 price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Tuesday, August 26th. UBS Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Thursday, July 17th. Barclays raised their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $337.00 to $352.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, September 4th. Finally, Oppenheimer reduced their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $400.00 to $325.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $358.95.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Performance

Shares of UNH stock opened at $351.87 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.85. The business has a fifty day moving average of $298.81 and a 200 day moving average of $362.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $318.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 0.45. UnitedHealth Group has a 1 year low of $234.60 and a 1 year high of $630.73.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 29th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $4.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $4.45 by ($0.37). The firm had revenue of $111.62 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $111.75 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 23.32% and a net margin of 5.04%.The firm's quarterly revenue was up 12.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $6.80 EPS. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2025 guidance at 16.000- EPS.

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 23rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 15th were issued a dividend of $2.21 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 15th. This represents a $8.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.5%. UnitedHealth Group's dividend payout ratio is currently 38.30%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On UnitedHealth Group

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Financial Management Professionals Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 0.8% in the first quarter. Financial Management Professionals Inc. now owns 2,224 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $1,165,000 after buying an additional 17 shares during the period. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates grew its position in UnitedHealth Group by 28.6% in the first quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates now owns 90 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Retirement Planning Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 5.1% in the 1st quarter. Retirement Planning Group LLC now owns 430 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $225,000 after acquiring an additional 21 shares during the last quarter. Net Worth Advisory Group increased its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 0.6% in the 1st quarter. Net Worth Advisory Group now owns 3,642 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $1,907,000 after purchasing an additional 21 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bensler LLC grew its position in UnitedHealth Group by 0.3% during the 1st quarter. Bensler LLC now owns 6,945 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $3,637,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares in the last quarter. 87.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

UnitedHealth Group Company Profile

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated operates as a diversified health care company in the United States. The company operates through four segments: UnitedHealthcare, Optum Health, Optum Insight, and Optum Rx. The UnitedHealthcare segment offers consumer-oriented health benefit plans and services for national employers, public sector employers, mid-sized employers, small businesses, and individuals; health care coverage, and health and well-being services to individuals age 50 and older addressing their needs; Medicaid plans, children's health insurance and health care programs; and health and dental benefits, and hospital and clinical services, as well as health care benefits products and services to state programs caring for the economically disadvantaged, medically underserved, and those without the benefit of employer-funded health care coverage.

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