UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Posted by Brian Himes on May 21st, 2026

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH – Get Free Report) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-seven ratings firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, nineteen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $385.3913.

UNH has been the subject of several recent research reports. Weiss Ratings raised shares of UnitedHealth Group from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $327.00 to $373.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $361.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $311.00 to $337.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd.

Get Our Latest Research Report on UnitedHealth Group

More UnitedHealth Group News

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

Positive Sentiment: Mizuho raised its price target on UnitedHealth to $440 from $410 and kept an Outperform rating, signaling confidence that the managed care sector’s recent weakness is easing. Article Title
Positive Sentiment: Analysts at Zacks Research lifted estimates across multiple future periods, including FY2027 EPS to $20.52 from $19.76 and FY2028 EPS to $22.75, reinforcing expectations for strong earnings power ahead. Article Title
Positive Sentiment: Additional commentary from Wall Street suggests UNH could regain momentum over the next 12 months as investors look past the Berkshire-driven volatility. Article Title
Neutral Sentiment: News about Berkshire Hathaway reshuffling its portfolio, including exiting UnitedHealth, is weighing on sentiment, but the move appears driven by Berkshire’s broader allocation changes rather than a new company-specific warning. Article Title
Negative Sentiment: UnitedHealth remains under scrutiny after Berkshire Hathaway fully exited its stake, which has sparked selling pressure and renewed concerns about near-term headwinds for the stock. Article Title

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other UnitedHealth Group news, CEO Patrick Hugh Conway sold 800 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $355.00, for a total value of $284,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 17,805 shares in the company, valued at $6,320,775. The trade was a 4.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.28% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On UnitedHealth Group

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Sarver Vrooman Wealth Advisors bought a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Beacon Financial Strategies CORP bought a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Anfield Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 220.0% in the 4th quarter. Anfield Capital Management LLC now owns 80 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Joseph Group Capital Management bought a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Finally, Nalls Sherbakoff Group LLC bought a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Institutional investors own 87.86% of the company’s stock.

UnitedHealth Group Trading Down 1.5%

NYSE:UNH opened at $383.30 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.80. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $322.87 and a 200-day moving average of $318.86. The company has a market cap of $348.09 billion, a PE ratio of 28.95, a PEG ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 0.64. UnitedHealth Group has a one year low of $234.60 and a one year high of $404.15.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH – Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The healthcare conglomerate reported $7.23 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.76 by $0.47. The company had revenue of $111.65 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $109.84 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 2.68% and a return on equity of 14.65%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $7.20 earnings per share. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 18.250- EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that UnitedHealth Group will post 18.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 9th were paid a $2.21 dividend. This represents a $8.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 9th. UnitedHealth Group’s payout ratio is presently 66.77%.

UnitedHealth Group Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

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.