What is Zacks Research's Estimate for UNH Q3 Earnings?

Key Points

• Zacks Research lowered its Q3 2027 EPS estimate for UnitedHealth Group to $4.74, down from $4.81, while maintaining a “Strong-Buy” rating. Its full-year consensus estimate is $19.69 per share.
• UnitedHealth’s latest quarterly results exceeded expectations, with EPS of $6.38 versus the $4.94 consensus and revenue of $112.03 billion versus estimates of $110.81 billion.
• Analyst sentiment remains favorable, with the stock carrying a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $455.92; the company also declared a quarterly dividend of $2.32 per share.

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) - Research analysts at Zacks Research lowered their Q3 2027 earnings estimates for UnitedHealth Group in a report released on Tuesday, August 18th. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the healthcare conglomerate will post earnings per share of $4.74 for the quarter, down from their previous estimate of $4.81. Zacks Research currently has a "Strong-Buy" rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for UnitedHealth Group's current full-year earnings is $19.69 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for UnitedHealth Group's Q4 2027 earnings at $4.07 EPS, Q1 2028 earnings at $7.36 EPS and Q2 2028 earnings at $7.19 EPS.

A number of other equities analysts also recently commented on the company. Argus upgraded UnitedHealth Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $400.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Barclays raised their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $429.00 to $441.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, July 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $466.00 to $516.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $397.00 to $485.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. Finally, HSBC raised their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $300.00 to $380.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have assigned a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $455.92.

UnitedHealth Group Trading Down 1.5%

Shares of UNH opened at $388.03 on Thursday. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $414.75 and its 200 day simple moving average is $355.03. UnitedHealth Group has a twelve month low of $255.96 and a twelve month high of $461.62. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $348.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 0.62.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 firm had revenue of $112.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $110.81 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $4.08 earnings per share. UnitedHealth Group'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.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On UnitedHealth Group

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Sarver Vrooman Wealth Advisors bought a new position in UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Anfield Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Joseph Group Capital Management bought a new stake in UnitedHealth Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Nalls Sherbakoff Group LLC bought a new position in UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Finally, Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. bought a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

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

Key UnitedHealth Group News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts raised earnings forecasts. Zacks Research increased its estimates for Q1 2027 EPS to $7.12, Q2 2027 EPS to $6.35, fiscal 2027 EPS to $22.28 and fiscal 2028 EPS to $25.74. Zacks maintained a “Strong-Buy” rating, signaling expectations for continued earnings recovery. Zacks Research earnings estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Valuation and operating trends could support a recovery. A Zacks analysis said improving medical costs, higher earnings estimates and shareholder capital returns make UnitedHealth appear reasonably valued at approximately 18.39 times forward earnings, although regulatory risks remain. UnitedHealth valuation analysis
• Positive Sentiment: The dividend remains a support for income-focused investors. UnitedHealth authorized a dividend while facing governance litigation, reinforcing its capital-return appeal, though the payout does not remove the company’s broader legal risks. UnitedHealth dividend authorization

UnitedHealth Group Company 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.

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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