Zacks Research Analysts Lower Earnings Estimates for UNH

Key Points

• Zacks Research has significantly lowered its Q3 2025 earnings estimate for UnitedHealth Group (UNH) from $6.77 to $3.07 per share, impacting overall future earnings forecasts.
• JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced its price target for UnitedHealth Group from $418 to $310, while other analysts have shifted ratings, indicating varied market sentiment around the stock.
• The company recently declared a quarterly dividend of $2.21 per share, representing a yield of 3.3% and highlighting its stable payout ratio of 38.30% amidst earnings adjustments.

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) - Investment analysts at Zacks Research cut their Q3 2025 EPS estimates for UnitedHealth Group in a report issued on Tuesday, August 12th. Zacks Research analyst D. Chatterjee now anticipates that the healthcare conglomerate will earn $3.07 per share for the quarter, down from their previous estimate of $6.77. The consensus estimate for UnitedHealth Group's current full-year earnings is $29.54 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for UnitedHealth Group's Q4 2025 earnings at $2.14 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $16.49 EPS, Q1 2026 earnings at $5.12 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $4.32 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $4.64 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $4.55 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $18.63 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $5.50 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $4.53 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $21.36 EPS.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $4.08 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 the consensus estimate of $111.75 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 5.04% and a return on equity of 23.32%. The firm's revenue was up 12.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $6.80 EPS.

Several other analysts have also issued reports on the stock. Barclays restated an "overweight" rating on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Thursday, July 17th. Piper Sandler lowered their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $353.00 to $317.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. TD Cowen lowered shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $308.00 price objective for the company. in a report on Monday, May 19th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $521.00 to $362.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Finally, TD Securities restated a "hold" rating and issued a $308.00 price objective (down from $520.00) on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Monday, May 19th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $366.52.

UnitedHealth Group Trading Down 0.0%

NYSE UNH traded down $0.02 during trading on Thursday, hitting $271.79. 22,346,613 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 18,776,074. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $288.90 and a two-hundred day moving average of $399.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.85. UnitedHealth Group has a 12-month low of $234.60 and a 12-month high of $630.73. The firm has a market cap of $246.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.78, a PEG ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 0.43.

Institutional Trading of UnitedHealth Group

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA bought a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the 2nd quarter worth about $25,000. Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Bayforest Capital Ltd lifted its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 685.7% in the 1st quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd now owns 55 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the period. Sagard Holdings Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, Islay Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in UnitedHealth Group during the second quarter valued at approximately $31,000. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Patrick Hugh Conway sold 589 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $305.00, for a total transaction of $179,645.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 10,398 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,171,390. The trade was a 5.36% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CFO John F. Rex bought 17,175 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 16th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $291.12 per share, for a total transaction of $4,999,986.00. Following the purchase, the chief financial officer owned 203,796 shares in the company, valued at $59,329,091.52. This represents a 9.20% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 0.28% of the company's stock.

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 23rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 15th will be given a dividend of $2.21 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 15th. This represents a $8.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.3%. UnitedHealth Group's payout ratio is presently 38.30%.

About UnitedHealth Group

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.