Keel Point LLC reduced its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH – Free Report) by 36.3% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,804 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after selling 1,597 shares during the period. Keel Point LLC’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $759,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Sarver Vrooman Wealth Advisors bought a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $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 valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Joseph Group Capital Management acquired a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Nalls Sherbakoff Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Finally, Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. bought a new stake in UnitedHealth Group in the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.86% of the company’s stock.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
A number of brokerages have weighed in on UNH. DA Davidson set a $512.00 price target on UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. Argus upgraded UnitedHealth Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $400.00 target price for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $463.00 to $478.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, July 17th. TD Cowen boosted their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $337.00 to $430.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Finally, Bank of America reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Monday, July 20th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have issued a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $455.92.
UnitedHealth Group News Summary
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 Trading Up 0.1%
Shares of UnitedHealth Group stock opened at $414.82 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $376.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.69, a PEG ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 0.62. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 1 year low of $234.60 and a 1 year high of $461.62. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $411.39 and its 200-day simple moving average is $348.31. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66.
UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 16th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.38 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.94 by $1.44. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 3.14% and a return on equity of 16.53%. The firm had revenue of $112.03 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $110.81 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $4.08 EPS. The business’s revenue was up .4% on a year-over-year basis. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 19.500-20.000 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 19.69 EPS for the current year.
UnitedHealth Group Increases Dividend
The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 23rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th were issued a $2.32 dividend. This is a positive change from UnitedHealth Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.21. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 15th. This represents a $9.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. UnitedHealth Group’s payout ratio is currently 59.72%.
UnitedHealth Group Company 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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