UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) Raised to "Strong-Buy" at Zacks Research

Key Points

• UnitedHealth Group was upgraded by Zacks Research from hold to strong-buy, adding to a broader wave of bullish analyst commentary on the stock.
• The latest analyst updates include higher price targets from firms like Truist and Morgan Stanley, while MarketBeat says UNH now has a Moderate Buy consensus and a $429.50 average price target.
• Fundamentals remain solid: UNH recently beat earnings and revenue estimates, and the stock has traded near its 52-week high after a strong run this year.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Zacks Research from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

UNH has been the subject of a number of other reports. Erste Group Bank raised UnitedHealth Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Weiss Ratings upgraded UnitedHealth Group from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research report on Friday. Truist Financial upped their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $440.00 to $480.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $453.00 to $468.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. Finally, HSBC upped their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $300.00 to $380.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have given a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, UnitedHealth Group currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $429.50.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:UNH opened at $425.20 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $386.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.11, a P/E/G ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 0.62. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $401.79 and its 200 day simple moving average is $340.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.80. UnitedHealth Group has a fifty-two week low of $234.60 and a fifty-two week high of $434.30.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The healthcare conglomerate reported $7.23 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.76 by $0.47. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 2.68% and a return on equity of 14.65%. The firm had revenue of $111.65 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $109.84 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $7.20 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 18.250- EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that UnitedHealth Group will post 18.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other UnitedHealth Group news, CEO Patrick Hugh Conway sold 800 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $355.00, for a total transaction of $284,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 17,805 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,320,775. This represents a 4.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.28% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On UnitedHealth Group

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of UNH. Sarver Vrooman Wealth Advisors bought a new stake in UnitedHealth Group in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Beacon Financial Strategies CORP bought a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Anfield Capital Management LLC increased its position in UnitedHealth Group by 220.0% during the fourth quarter. Anfield Capital Management LLC now owns 80 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the period. Joseph Group Capital Management acquired a new stake in UnitedHealth Group in the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Finally, Nalls Sherbakoff Group LLC bought a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.86% of the company's stock.

Trending Headlines about UnitedHealth Group

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

• Positive Sentiment: Truist raised its price target on UNH to $480 from $440 and kept a buy rating, signaling confidence in additional upside. Truist price target raise
• Positive Sentiment: KeyCorp lifted its target to $475 from $400 and reiterated an overweight rating, adding to the bullish analyst momentum ahead of earnings. KeyCorp price target raise
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and market commentary point to UNH’s turnaround efforts, stronger cash flow, and renewed earnings growth as reasons the stock has rallied sharply this year. UnitedHealth Stock on a Tear Ahead of Earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Investors are betting that the company’s AI investment plan could improve efficiency and support future profits, strengthening the bull case if execution is solid. UnitedHealth Is Investing $1.5 Billion in AI
• Neutral Sentiment: UNH reports second-quarter earnings on Thursday, and traders are focused on whether the company can meet expectations and potentially reach a new high after its recent run-up. UnitedHealth Reports Earnings Thursday
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent coverage also highlights UnitedHealth’s sensitivity to broader healthcare trends, including Medicare Advantage reimbursement changes and industry-wide cost pressures, which could influence results but are not yet a clear positive or negative. Eyes On Elevance Health, UnitedHealth

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.

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