UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) Stock Price Target Lowered at Robert W. Baird

Posted by Brian Himes on Oct 14th, 2026

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH – Get Free Report) had its target price reduced by investment analysts at Robert W. Baird from $453.00 to $427.00 in a report issued on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “neutral” rating on the healthcare conglomerate’s stock. Robert W. Baird’s price target would indicate a potential upside of 12.79% from the company’s current price.

Several other equities analysts also recently commented on the company. Raymond James Financial raised their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $370.00 to $460.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. KeyCorp boosted their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $400.00 to $475.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Truist Financial increased their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $440.00 to $480.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $401.00 to $490.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 17th. Finally, Zacks Research cut shares of UnitedHealth Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, September 14th. Twenty equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, UnitedHealth Group currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $461.69.

Check Out Our Latest Research Report on UnitedHealth Group

UnitedHealth Group Trading Up 0.0%

UnitedHealth Group stock opened at $378.59 on Wednesday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $387.44 and its 200-day simple moving average is $382.57. The firm has a market capitalization of $339.82 billion, a PE ratio of 24.36, a PEG ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a current ratio of 0.78. UnitedHealth Group has a 52 week low of $255.96 and a 52 week high of $461.62.

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 firm 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 firm earned $2.59 EPS. The business’s revenue was down .4% on a year-over-year basis. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 20.500- EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that UnitedHealth Group will post 19.85 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Patrick Conway sold 1,169 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $390.00, for a total value of $455,910.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 15,328 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,977,920. This represents a 7.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.19% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Wellington Altus USA Inc. increased its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 97.1% in the 2nd quarter. Wellington Altus USA Inc. now owns 67 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. Security National Bank of SO Dak bought a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the 2nd quarter worth $29,000. Aberdeen Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the 2nd quarter worth $31,000. Nalls Sherbakoff Group LLC acquired a new stake in UnitedHealth Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Finally, Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. bought a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. 87.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key UnitedHealth Group News

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

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

About UnitedHealth Group

(Get Free Report)

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.