Zacks Research Analysts Reduce Earnings Estimates for UNH

Key Points

• Zacks Research slightly cut its Q4 2027 EPS estimate for UnitedHealth from $3.92 to $3.91, while the consensus full-year earnings estimate stands at $29.54 per share.
• Several major brokers have trimmed price targets (e.g., Oppenheimer, JPMorgan, Morgan Stanley) and Weiss Ratings downgraded the stock to a sell, though MarketBeat's consensus remains a Moderate Buy with a target price of $372.13.
• UnitedHealth recently beat quarterly EPS ($2.11 vs. $2.09 est.) and revenue ($113.73B vs. $113.38B est.), with revenue up 12.3% year-over-year, and pays a quarterly dividend of $2.21 (annualized yield ~3.2%).

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) - Investment analysts at Zacks Research cut their Q4 2027 earnings estimates for UnitedHealth Group in a research report issued on Thursday, March 19th. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the healthcare conglomerate will post earnings per share of $3.91 for the quarter, down from their previous forecast of $3.92. The consensus estimate for UnitedHealth Group's current full-year earnings is $29.54 per share.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $2.11 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.09 by $0.02. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 2.69% and a return on equity of 14.79%. The firm had revenue of $113.73 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $113.38 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $6.81 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 12.3% on a year-over-year basis. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.750- EPS.

UNH has been the subject of several other reports. Oppenheimer reduced their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $415.00 to $385.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $425.00 to $389.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Weiss Ratings cut shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $411.00 to $409.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $372.13.

UnitedHealth Group Price Performance

Shares of UnitedHealth Group stock opened at $280.35 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.79. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $298.52 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $324.39. The stock has a market capitalization of $254.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.25, a PEG ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 0.41. UnitedHealth Group has a 12 month low of $234.60 and a 12 month high of $606.36.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On UnitedHealth Group

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in UNH. Sarver Vrooman Wealth Advisors purchased a new stake in UnitedHealth Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Beacon Financial Strategies CORP acquired a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Anfield Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 220.0% in the 4th 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 last quarter. Joseph Group Capital Management acquired a new stake in UnitedHealth Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Finally, Nalls Sherbakoff Group LLC acquired a new position in UnitedHealth Group during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.86% of the company's stock.

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 9th were given a dividend of $2.21 per share. This represents a $8.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 9th. UnitedHealth Group's payout ratio is presently 67.02%.

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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