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UnitedHealth Group (UNH) Stock Forecast & Price Target

UnitedHealth Group logo
$372.81 -4.75 (-1.26%)
Closing price 03:59 PM Eastern
Extended Trading
$373.19 +0.38 (+0.10%)
As of 07:50 PM Eastern
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UnitedHealth Group - Analysts' Recommendations and Stock Price Forecast (2026)

Consensus Rating

Sell
0
Hold
7
Buy
20

Based on 27 Wall Street analysts who have issued ratings for UnitedHealth Group in the last 12 months, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy." Out of the 27 analysts, 7 have given a hold rating, 19 have given a buy rating, and 1 has given a strong buy rating for UNH.

Consensus Price Target

$456.56
22.46% Upside
According to the 27 analysts' twelve-month price targets for UnitedHealth Group, the average price target is $456.56. The highest price target for UNH is $529.00, while the lowest price target for UNH is $330.00. The average price target represents a forecasted upside of 22.46% from the current price of $372.81.
MarketBeat calculates consensus analyst ratings for stocks using the most recent rating from each Wall Street analyst that has rated a stock within the last twelve months. Each analyst's rating is normalized to a standardized rating score of 1 (sell), 2 (hold), 3 (buy) or 4 (strong buy). Analyst consensus ratings scores are calculated using the mean average of the number of normalized sell, hold, buy and strong buy ratings from Wall Street analysts. Each stock's consensus analyst rating is derived from its calculated consensus ratings score (0 to .5 = Strong Sell, .5 to 1 = Sell, 1 to 1.5 = Reduce, 1.5 to 2.5 = Hold, 2.5 to 3.0 = Moderate Buy, 3.0 to 3.5 = Buy, >3.5 = Strong Buy). MarketBeat's consensus price targets are a mean average of the most recent available price targets set by each analyst that has set a price target for the stock in the last twelve months. MarketBeat's consensus ratings and consensus price targets may differ from those calculated by other firms due to differences in methodology and available data.
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UNH Analyst Ratings Over Time

TypeCurrent Forecast
9/22/25 to 9/22/26
1 Month Ago
8/23/25 to 8/23/26
3 Months Ago
6/24/25 to 6/24/26
1 Year Ago
9/22/24 to 9/22/25
Strong Buy
1 Strong Buy rating(s)
2 Strong Buy rating(s)
1 Strong Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
Buy
19 Buy rating(s)
20 Buy rating(s)
21 Buy rating(s)
16 Buy rating(s)
Hold
7 Hold rating(s)
5 Hold rating(s)
4 Hold rating(s)
6 Hold rating(s)
Sell
0 Sell rating(s)
0 Sell rating(s)
1 Sell rating(s)
1 Sell rating(s)
Consensus Price Target$456.56$455.92$410.79$358.95
Forecasted Upside22.46% Upside16.62% Upside1.21% Upside5.12% Upside
Consensus RatingModerate BuyModerate BuyModerate BuyModerate Buy

UNH Analyst Recommendations By Month

The chart below shows how a company's ratings by analysts have changed over time. Each bar represents the previous year of ratings for that month. Within each bar, the sell ratings are shown in red, the hold ratings are shown in yellow, the buy ratings are shown in green, and the strong buy ratings are shown in dark green.
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UNH Price Targets by Month

The chart below shows how a company's share price and consensus price target have changed over time. The dark blue line represents the company's actual price. The lighter blue line represents the stock's consensus price target. The even lighter blue range in the background of the two lines represents the low price target and the high price target for each stock.
Skip Chart and View Analyst Price Target HistorySkip Chart & View Price History Table

UnitedHealth Group Stock vs. The Competition

TypeUnitedHealth GroupHealthcare CompaniesBroader Market
Consensus Rating Score
2.78
2.30
2.53
Consensus RatingModerate BuyHoldModerate Buy
Predicted Upside22.46% Upside709.37% Upside17.93% Upside
News Sentiment Rating
Positive News

See Recent UNH News
Positive News
Positive News
DateBrokerageAnalystActionRatingPrice TargetReport Date
Upside/Downside
Details
9/14/2026
Zacks Research logo
Zacks Research
5 of 5 stars
 DowngradeStrong-BuyHold
9/2/2026
Lance Wilkes
4 of 5 stars
Reiterated RatingOutperform
8/27/2026
Erste Group Bank AG logo
Erste Group Bank
5 of 5 stars
 DowngradeBuyHold
7/28/2026 DowngradeHold (C)Hold (C-)
7/21/2026 Set Target$512.00+18.68%
7/21/2026 Set Target$512.00+18.68%
7/21/2026Boost TargetOverweight$466.00 ➝ $516.00+19.23%
7/20/2026Boost TargetOutperform$470.00 ➝ $493.00+16.87%
7/20/2026Reiterated RatingBuy
7/20/2026Boost TargetOverweight$429.00 ➝ $441.00+4.52%
7/17/2026Boost TargetOverweight$468.00 ➝ $529.00+21.54%
7/17/2026Boost TargetOutperform$420.00 ➝ $500.00+15.96%
7/17/2026Boost TargetOutperform$463.00 ➝ $478.00+10.04%
7/17/2026Boost TargetBuy$460.00 ➝ $490.00+15.77%
7/16/2026Set Target$477.00+8.59%
7/16/2026UpgradeUnderperformNeutral$287.00 ➝ $453.00+4.98%
7/14/2026Boost TargetHold$337.00 ➝ $430.00+0.15%
7/14/2026Boost TargetBuy$440.00 ➝ $480.00+11.38%
7/14/2026Boost TargetOverweight$400.00 ➝ $475.00+10.63%
7/13/2026Boost TargetOverweight$397.00 ➝ $485.00+12.82%
7/6/2026Boost TargetHold$300.00 ➝ $380.00-8.56%
6/17/2026Boost TargetOutperform$400.00 ➝ $462.00+13.22%
6/11/2026 Reiterated RatingOverweight
5/27/2026 Set Target$492.00+30.34%
4/22/2026UpgradeHoldBuy$400.00+15.52%
4/20/2026Boost TargetBuy$340.00 ➝ $373.00+15.26%
4/1/2026UpgradeMarket PerformOutperform$330.00+22.11%
1/6/2026 UpgradeStrong-Buy
10/29/2025 DowngradeBuyHold$333.00-9.69%
10/14/2025Initiated CoverageBuy$406.00+13.15%
5/20/2025Lower TargetOutperform$501.00 ➝ $390.00+21.90%
5/19/2025Reiterated RatingBuyHold$520.00 ➝ $308.00-1.39%
12/5/2024 Boost TargetOverweight$605.00 ➝ $675.00+10.54%

Analyst ratings data on MarketBeat is provided by Benzinga and other data providers. This page was last refreshed on Tuesday at 07:43 PM ET.


Should I Buy UnitedHealth Group Stock? UNH Pros and Cons Explained

These pros and cons were generated based on recent news and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate insights. They were last updated on Sunday, September 20, 2026. Please send any questions or comments about these UnitedHealth Group pros and cons to contact@marketbeat.com.

UnitedHealth Group
Bull Case

green Wall Street bull icon

Here are some ways that investors could benefit from investing in UnitedHealth Group:

  • UnitedHealth Group is currently trading at $377.06, which is significantly below the consensus price target of $456.56, suggesting substantial upside potential for investors who believe the market is undervaluing the company's recovery trajectory.
  • The company has demonstrated strong earnings momentum by beating consensus estimates in its most recent quarter, reporting $6.38 in earnings per share against an expected $4.94, while also raising its full-year 2026 adjusted EPS guidance to a range of $19.50 to $20.00, indicating management confidence in continued profitability.
  • UnitedHealth Group offers a compelling income stream with an annualized dividend of $9.28 per share, resulting in a yield of approximately 2.46%, which provides a defensive cushion for investors seeking steady cash flow in a higher interest rate environment.
  • Recent institutional activity signals growing confidence, as major investors like BlackRock and State Street have increased their holdings, and new positions have been opened by entities such as Nykredit A S, suggesting that large capital allocators are positioning for long-term growth.
  • The stock exhibits a low beta of 0.61, meaning it tends to be less volatile than the broader market, making it an attractive defensive holding for portfolios seeking stability and reduced risk exposure during periods of market uncertainty.

UnitedHealth Group
Bear Case

red Wall Street bear icon

Investors should be bearish about investing in UnitedHealth Group for these reasons:

  • Recent analyst sentiment has turned cautious, with Zacks Research downgrading the stock from "strong-buy" to "hold" and Erste Group Bank lowering its rating from "buy" to "hold," reflecting concerns about the sustainability of recent earnings improvements.
  • Commercial health plan costs are running modestly above the 11% medical cost trend the company had been expecting, creating a potential margin headwind that could pressure future profitability despite improvements in other segments.
  • Medicaid margins are expected to remain pressured for the remainder of 2026, which could limit the overall earnings upside and offset gains from other business units, posing a risk to the company's bottom line.
  • Insider selling activity has been notable, with CEO Patrick Conway selling shares in multiple transactions throughout 2026, including a recent sale of 1,169 shares in August, which some investors may interpret as a lack of confidence in near-term stock performance.
  • The stock has experienced significant volatility, trading between a 52-week low of $255.96 and a high of $461.62, indicating that the market is still debating the company's valuation and risk profile, which can lead to unpredictable price swings.

UNH Forecast - Frequently Asked Questions

According to the research reports of 27 Wall Street equities research analysts, the average twelve-month stock price forecast for UnitedHealth Group is $456.56, with a high forecast of $529.00 and a low forecast of $330.00.

27 Wall Street research analysts have issued "buy," "hold," and "sell" ratings for UnitedHealth Group in the last year. There are currently 7 hold ratings, 19 buy ratings and 1 strong buy rating for the stock. The consensus among Wall Street research analysts is that investors should "moderate buy" UNH shares.

According to analysts, UnitedHealth Group's stock has a predicted upside of 22.46% based on their 12-month stock forecasts.

Over the previous 90 days, UnitedHealth Group's stock had 3 upgrades and 3 downgrades by analysts.

Analysts like UnitedHealth Group more than other "healthcare" companies. The consensus rating for UnitedHealth Group is Moderate Buy while the average consensus rating for "healthcare" companies is Hold. Learn more on how UNH compares to other companies.


MarketBeat monitors more than a dozen sources for UnitedHealth Group analyst ratings, with the most recent rating issued on 9/14/2026.
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