Western Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH – Free Report) by 61.3% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 13,769 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,232 shares during the period. Western Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $3,726,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of UNH. Sarver Vrooman Wealth Advisors bought a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Anfield Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 220.0% in the fourth 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 period. Joseph Group Capital Management bought a new position in UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Nalls Sherbakoff Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Finally, Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. purchased a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. 87.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
UNH has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Robert W. Baird raised shares of UnitedHealth Group from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $287.00 to $453.00 in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Argus upgraded UnitedHealth Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $400.00 price target on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Oppenheimer raised their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $420.00 to $500.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, July 17th. DA Davidson set a $512.00 target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. Finally, BMO Capital Markets set a $512.00 price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have given a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, UnitedHealth Group currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $455.92.
Trending Headlines about UnitedHealth Group
Here are the key news stories impacting UnitedHealth Group this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Analysts at Zacks Research raised EPS forecasts for several future periods, including Q3 2026, Q1 2027, Q3 2027, Q4 2027, and Q1 2028. Zacks maintained a “Strong Buy” rating, reinforcing expectations for an earnings recovery.
- Positive Sentiment: Erste Group Bank increased its FY2026 EPS estimate to $19.85 from $18.33 and its FY2027 estimate to $22.44 from $20.87, maintaining a “Buy” rating. MarketBeat UnitedHealth analyst estimates
- Positive Sentiment: Recent coverage highlights UNH’s second-quarter earnings beat, lower medical-cost ratio, improved margins, and raised 2026 guidance as evidence that the company’s turnaround is gaining traction. Its diversified Optum platform and growing use of artificial intelligence are also viewed as longer-term strengths. UnitedHealth turnaround signal
- Positive Sentiment: A separate valuation update lifted the estimated fair value from $424.23 to $475.23, reflecting improved Medicare Advantage and Optum Health assumptions. The average brokerage recommendation remains equivalent to “Buy,” although the usefulness of broadly positive analyst ratings is questioned. UnitedHealth fair value update
- Neutral Sentiment: Commentary says the recent stock advance reflects a Medicare Advantage repricing strategy that management outlined months earlier, suggesting the market is reassessing earnings power rather than responding to a new operational announcement. UnitedHealth Medicare Advantage repricing analysis
- Negative Sentiment: Zacks reduced its Q4 2026 EPS estimate to $2.25 from $2.47 and trimmed its Q2 2028 forecast to $5.84 from $5.92. These isolated cuts may be contributing to caution even as the firm remains bullish overall.
- Negative Sentiment: UnitedHealth faces scrutiny over surprise-billing dispute costs, while broader risks include commercial-market trends, Medicaid exposure, and regulation. Medicare Advantage insurers are also redesigning 2027 plans, potentially affecting enrollment, benefits, and member retention. Cigna and UnitedHealth cost coverage
UnitedHealth Group Price Performance
Shares of UNH opened at $414.82 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $376.72 billion, a PE ratio of 26.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 0.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.80. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $411.39 and its 200-day moving average price is $348.26. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 1-year low of $234.60 and a 1-year high of $461.62.
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 analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.94 by $1.44. The company had revenue of $112.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $110.81 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 16.53% and a net margin of 3.14%.The firm’s revenue was up .4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $4.08 EPS. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 19.500-20.000 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 19.71 EPS for the current year.
UnitedHealth Group Increases Dividend
The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 23rd. Investors of record on Monday, June 15th were issued a $2.32 dividend. This is a boost from UnitedHealth Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.21. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 15th. This represents a $9.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. UnitedHealth Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 59.72%.
UnitedHealth Group 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.
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