UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) Given Average Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Key Points

• Analysts remain broadly bullish: Twenty of 27 brokerages rate UnitedHealth Group a “Buy,” with two assigning “Strong Buy” ratings and an average 12-month price target of approximately $455.92.
• Quarterly results exceeded expectations: UnitedHealth reported EPS of $6.38 versus the $4.94 consensus estimate and revenue of $112.03 billion, while maintaining fiscal 2026 EPS guidance of $19.50–$20.00.
• Institutional ownership is substantial: Institutional investors hold 87.86% of the stock, and the company declared a quarterly dividend of $2.32 per share, representing a 2.4% annualized yield.

Shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) have been given an average rating of "Moderate Buy" by the twenty-seven research firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $455.9231.

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. Robert W. Baird raised UnitedHealth Group from an "underperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and increased their price objective for the company from $287.00 to $453.00 in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Barclays upped their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $429.00 to $441.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, July 20th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 8th. TD Cowen upped their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $337.00 to $430.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Finally, Piper Sandler set a $477.00 target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Thursday, July 16th.

Insider Transactions at UnitedHealth Group

In other UnitedHealth Group news, CEO Patrick Hugh Conway sold 500 shares of UnitedHealth Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $410.00, for a total value of $205,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 16,497 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,763,770. The trade was a 2.94% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.19% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On UnitedHealth Group

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of UNH. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 91,600,260 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $30,238,162,000 after purchasing an additional 995,210 shares during the period. BlackRock Inc. increased its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 4.6% during the second quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 76,863,061 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $31,946,594,000 after acquiring an additional 3,395,530 shares during the period. State Street Corp raised its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 45,232,170 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $14,931,592,000 after acquiring an additional 1,119,834 shares in the last quarter. Capital World Investors grew its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 3.8% during the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 22,591,042 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $7,457,723,000 after purchasing an additional 824,120 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 3.7% in the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 18,829,054 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $6,215,660,000 after purchasing an additional 680,077 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.86% of the company's stock.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Performance

Shares of UNH opened at $390.94 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $350.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 0.62. The company's fifty day moving average is $413.99 and its 200-day moving average is $356.45. The company has a quick ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. UnitedHealth Group has a 12 month low of $255.96 and a 12 month high of $461.62.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 16th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.38 earnings per share (EPS) 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 firm had revenue of $112.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $110.81 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $4.08 earnings per share. UnitedHealth Group'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. Equities analysts expect that UnitedHealth Group will post 19.81 EPS for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 22nd. Investors of record on Monday, September 14th will be given a dividend of $2.32 per share. This represents a $9.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 14th. UnitedHealth Group's payout ratio is currently 59.72%.

More UnitedHealth Group News

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

• Positive Sentiment: UnitedHealth is reportedly prioritizing Medicare Advantage profitability over rapid membership growth by tightening benefits, improving pricing and controlling costs. The strategy could support stronger margins and more sustainable earnings, even if enrollment growth moderates. Is UnitedHealth Finding a Better Path to Medicare Advantage Growth?
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research added UNH to its Rank #1, or “Strong Buy,” lists for overall stocks, value stocks and income stocks. The repeated favorable rankings may reinforce investor confidence in the shares. New Strong Buy Stocks for August 21st
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts raised several forward EPS estimates, including Q1 2028 to $7.36 from $6.78 and Q2 2028 to $7.19 from $5.84. A separate report also noted an increase in the Q1 EPS estimate, while Zacks maintained a Strong Buy rating. Q1 EPS Estimate for UnitedHealth Group Increased by Analyst
• Neutral Sentiment: Forecast revisions were mixed: Q3 2027 EPS was reduced to $4.74 from $4.81 and Q4 2027 to $4.07 from $4.12, partially offsetting the increases for 2028.
• Negative Sentiment: Aon expects U.S. employer health-care costs to rise 9.5% in 2027. Persistent medical-cost inflation could pressure insurers’ margins and increase pricing, benefit and utilization-management challenges for UnitedHealth. AON Sees No Relief From Health-Cost Inflation

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.

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.

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