KBC Group NV increased its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH – Free Report) by 5.8% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 593,104 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after buying an additional 32,770 shares during the quarter. KBC Group NV’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $195,790,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Guerra Advisors Inc purchased a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the 3rd quarter worth $1,059,000. Carnegie Investment Counsel increased its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 2.2% during the third quarter. Carnegie Investment Counsel now owns 105,621 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $36,471,000 after acquiring an additional 2,316 shares during the last quarter. Phoenix Financial Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 111.5% in the 3rd quarter. Phoenix Financial Ltd. now owns 41,986 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $14,282,000 after purchasing an additional 22,137 shares in the last quarter. Money Concepts Capital Corp increased its position in UnitedHealth Group by 59.1% during the 3rd quarter. Money Concepts Capital Corp now owns 12,380 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $4,275,000 after purchasing an additional 4,600 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Compass Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in UnitedHealth Group during the third quarter valued at approximately $13,691,000. 87.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
UNH has been the subject of several recent research reports. Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. Evercore raised shares of UnitedHealth Group to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Truist Financial cut their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $410.00 to $370.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $400.00 to $370.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $405.00 to $411.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have issued a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $363.42.
Trending Headlines about UnitedHealth Group
Here are the key news stories impacting UnitedHealth Group this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Analyst lift and price-target action — an analyst recently raised UnitedHealth’s price target while keeping a neutral rating; this, together with recent analyst attention, helps sentiment. Analyst Raises Price Target on UnitedHealth Group
- Positive Sentiment: Expectations of an earnings beat — previews from Zacks/Yahoo point to the right mix of revenue and margin drivers that could produce an upside surprise when UNH reports. UnitedHealth Group (UNH) Expected to Beat Earnings Estimates
- Positive Sentiment: Optum-driven competitive edge vs. Elevance — analyst write-ups highlight UNH’s integrated Optum engine and more stable earnings mix as reasons it may outperform peers as policy and cost dynamics shift. UnitedHealth vs. Elevance: Which Healthcare Stock Has More Upside?
- Positive Sentiment: Buy-case articles highlight total-return potential — commentary (Seeking Alpha) argues UNH offers solid annual total-return potential, supporting longer-term investor demand. UnitedHealth: Solid Annual Total Return Potential Makes It A Buy
- Neutral Sentiment: Earnings date confirmed — reminders that UNH will release quarterly results next week, which concentrates trading around the report but is informational rather than directional by itself. UnitedHealth Group (UNH) to Release Quarterly Earnings on Tuesday
- Neutral Sentiment: Dividend/contrarian interest — pieces noting a falling share price with a rising dividend profile (Dogs of the Dow) may attract income-focused buyers but reflect mixed sentiment. Falling Stock Price, Rising Dividend: UnitedHealth Fits the Dogs of the Dow Profile
- Neutral Sentiment: Macro/market context — analysis tying UNH’s market position to broader NASDAQ-100 trends provides context for relative performance but is not an immediate catalyst. UnitedHealth Group Market Position and Its Connection to NASDAQ 100 Trends
- Negative Sentiment: Cost pressures and industry risk — coverage highlights that investors are watching results for signs UNH (and peers) can rein in rising medical costs that have depressed managed-care margins; continued cost escalation would be a clear downside. Attention Turns To UnitedHealth Earnings For Signs Of Insurer Rebound
UnitedHealth Group Stock Performance
NYSE:UNH opened at $314.17 on Thursday. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 1-year low of $234.60 and a 1-year high of $594.81. The stock has a market cap of $285.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.82, a PEG ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 0.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.79. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $284.93 and a two-hundred day moving average of $317.71.
UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $2.11 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.09 by $0.02. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 14.79% and a net margin of 2.69%.The firm had revenue of $113.73 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $113.38 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $6.81 earnings per share. UnitedHealth Group’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.3% on a year-over-year basis. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.750- EPS. On average, research analysts expect that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement
The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 9th were paid a $2.21 dividend. This represents a $8.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 9th. UnitedHealth Group’s payout ratio is 67.02%.
About UnitedHealth Group
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.
Further Reading
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