UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) Updates FY 2026 Earnings Guidance

Posted by Brenda Bartman on Jul 16th, 2026

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH – Get Free Report) issued an update on its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Thursday. The company provided earnings per share guidance of 19.500-20.000 for the period, compared to the consensus EPS estimate of 18.370. The company issued revenue guidance of -, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $444.2 billion.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently issued reports on UNH shares. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $278.00 to $287.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $453.00 to $468.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $340.00 to $373.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $397.00 to $485.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $420.00 to $466.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, June 8th. Two investment 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 company. According to MarketBeat, UnitedHealth Group has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $429.50.

Check Out Our Latest Research Report on UnitedHealth Group

UnitedHealth Group Stock Performance

Shares of UNH stock opened at $417.33 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $378.99 billion, a PE ratio of 31.52, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 0.80. UnitedHealth Group has a 1 year low of $234.60 and a 1 year high of $434.30. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $402.80 and a 200 day moving average price of $341.04.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH – Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The healthcare conglomerate reported $7.23 earnings per share 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 period last year, the firm posted $7.20 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 18.250- EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that UnitedHealth Group will post 18.39 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 23rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th were given a $2.32 dividend. This is an increase from UnitedHealth Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.21. This represents a $9.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 15th. UnitedHealth Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 70.09%.

Insider Transactions at UnitedHealth Group

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

Key Headlines Impacting UnitedHealth Group

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

Positive Sentiment: UnitedHealth reported Q2 adjusted EPS of $6.38 on revenue of $112.03 billion, both above analyst estimates, signaling better-than-expected operating performance. UnitedHealth Group Reports Second Quarter 2026 Results
Positive Sentiment: The company lifted FY 2026 EPS guidance to $19.50-$20.00, well above prior expectations and the consensus estimate, suggesting stronger earnings momentum ahead. UnitedHealth blows past estimates, hikes earnings outlook as it reins in costs
Positive Sentiment: Medical costs continued to ease, helping boost net income to $5.48 billion and improving the outlook for margins and free cash flow. UnitedHealth raises 2026 forecast as it controls medical costs
Positive Sentiment: Analysts responded positively ahead of and after earnings, with multiple price-target hikes and an upgrade from Zacks Research, reinforcing bullish sentiment around the stock. Analyst price target and rating updates
Neutral Sentiment: Investors are also watching UNH’s AI investment and operational simplification efforts, which could support future efficiency gains, but the impact is still longer term. UnitedHealth Is Investing $1.5 Billion in AI and Targeting a 2-to-1 Return. Here Is What That Means for the Bull Case.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Brighton Jones LLC increased its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 176.2% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 44,249 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $22,384,000 after buying an additional 28,231 shares during the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC grew its position in UnitedHealth Group by 137.1% during the fourth quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 4,019 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $2,033,000 after acquiring an additional 2,324 shares during the period. CMT Capital Markets Trading GmbH acquired a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the 2nd quarter valued at about $340,000. Flow Traders U.S. LLC purchased a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the second quarter valued at approximately $356,000. Finally, Jump Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the second quarter worth $377,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.86% of the company’s stock.

About UnitedHealth Group

(Get Free Report)

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.