First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. lifted its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH – Free Report) by 20.7% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 21,294 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,653 shares during the period. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co.’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $7,817,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wellington Altus USA Inc. boosted its position in UnitedHealth Group by 97.1% during the 2nd quarter. Wellington Altus USA Inc. now owns 67 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 33 shares during the period. Security National Bank of SO Dak bought a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the second quarter worth $29,000. Aberdeen Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the second quarter valued at $31,000. Nalls Sherbakoff Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Finally, Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. acquired a new stake in UnitedHealth Group in the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. 87.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.
Insider Buying and Selling
In related news, CEO Patrick Conway sold 1,169 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $390.00, for a total transaction of $455,910.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 15,328 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,977,920. This represents a 7.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.19% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.
Key Stories Impacting UnitedHealth Group
- Positive Sentiment: UnitedHealth reported adjusted earnings of $4.69 per share, well above the approximately $4.14 analyst consensus, while revenue of $112.7 billion also exceeded estimates. Operating earnings rose 52% to $6.6 billion, supported by tighter medical-cost controls and improved execution. UnitedHealth Group tops estimates, hikes profit outlook as insurer manages high medical costs
- Positive Sentiment: Management raised its 2026 adjusted EPS outlook to at least $20.50, above the roughly $19.86 consensus estimate. The company also indicated that current analyst expectations for 2027 may be conservative, reinforcing the view that its turnaround is progressing. UnitedHealth Says Wall Street May Be Underestimating Its 2027 Earnings Potential
- Positive Sentiment: The medical care ratio improved to 88.4%, while artificial-intelligence tools reportedly reduced clinical-review times and administrative friction. Management also expects Medicaid margins to bottom in 2026 and improve thereafter. UnitedHealth Group Earnings Call Highlights Growth and AI
- Neutral Sentiment: Despite the earnings beat, revenue was essentially flat year over year and Optum Health revenue slipped, suggesting that the recovery is being driven more by margins and cost discipline than by broad-based top-line expansion.
- Negative Sentiment: Investors remain concerned about UnitedHealth’s Medicare strategy, including the impact of exiting or reducing exposure to less-profitable Medicare business. Those concerns cloud the otherwise strong quarter and explain why the stock reversed its early advance. UnitedHealth Group Drops 5.4% as Medicare Exit Clouds Q3 Beat
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
Several research firms have commented on UNH. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $468.00 to $529.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, July 17th. KeyCorp increased their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $400.00 to $475.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. UBS Group reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Tuesday. Evercore boosted their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $400.00 to $480.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Finally, Erste Group Bank downgraded UnitedHealth Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 27th. Twenty analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $462.59.
Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on UnitedHealth Group
UnitedHealth Group Price Performance
NYSE:UNH opened at $378.59 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $387.44 and its 200 day moving average price is $382.57. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 52-week low of $255.96 and a 52-week high of $461.62. The firm has a market cap of $339.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.36, a PEG ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.60.
UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 13th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $4.69 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.14 by $0.55. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 3.14% and a return on equity of 16.53%. The company had revenue of $112.70 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $111.31 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.59 EPS. UnitedHealth Group’s revenue was down .4% on a year-over-year basis. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 20.500- EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 19.85 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement
The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 22nd. Investors of record on Monday, September 14th were issued a $2.32 dividend. This represents a $9.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 14th. UnitedHealth Group’s payout ratio is presently 59.72%.
UnitedHealth Group Profile
UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE: UNH) is a diversified health care and well-being company serving individuals, employers, health care providers and government programs. Its operations are organized primarily through UnitedHealthcare and Optum.
UnitedHealthcare provides health benefit plans and services, including employer-sponsored coverage, individual and family plans, Medicare and Medicaid offerings, and other government-supported programs. Its services include health insurance administration, pharmacy benefits and care management.
Optum provides health care services, technology and data solutions, pharmacy services, and analytics to health plans, employers, government agencies, health care providers and consumers.
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