Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. trimmed its holdings in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH – Free Report) by 2.1% during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 2,614,343 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after selling 56,548 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $707,415,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of UNH. Nordea Investment Management AB increased its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 4.2% during the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 91,496 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $30,287,000 after acquiring an additional 3,720 shares during the period. Vaughan David Investments LLC IL raised its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. Vaughan David Investments LLC IL now owns 150,773 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $49,772,000 after buying an additional 3,934 shares in the last quarter. Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. boosted its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 1,287.2% in the first quarter. Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. now owns 60,022 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $16,241,000 after buying an additional 55,695 shares in the last quarter. Kensington Investment Counsel LLC purchased a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the third quarter worth $2,888,000. Finally, J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG grew its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 127.6% during the 4th quarter. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG now owns 34,947 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $11,536,000 after purchasing an additional 19,591 shares during the period. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Analyst Ratings Changes
UNH has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Leerink Partners boosted their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $400.00 to $462.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 17th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $340.00 to $373.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $361.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Raymond James Financial raised UnitedHealth Group from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $330.00 target price on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of UnitedHealth Group from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have given a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, UnitedHealth Group currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $414.75.
Insider Buying and Selling at UnitedHealth Group
In other news, CEO Patrick Hugh Conway sold 800 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $355.00, for a total transaction of $284,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 17,805 shares in the company, valued at $6,320,775. This trade represents a 4.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.28% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.
UnitedHealth Group Price Performance
Shares of NYSE:UNH opened at $425.61 on Thursday. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a one year low of $234.60 and a one year high of $430.77. The stock has a market cap of $386.52 billion, a PE ratio of 32.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 0.62. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $397.02 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $337.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 0.80.
UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 21st. The healthcare conglomerate reported $7.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.76 by $0.47. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 14.65% and a net margin of 2.68%.The business had revenue of $111.65 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $109.84 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $7.20 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 18.250- EPS. On average, analysts forecast that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 18.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.
UnitedHealth Group Increases Dividend
The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 23rd. Investors of record on Monday, June 15th were given a dividend of $2.32 per share. This represents a $9.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.2%. This is an increase from UnitedHealth Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.21. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 15th. UnitedHealth Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 70.09%.
More UnitedHealth Group News
Here are the key news stories impacting UnitedHealth Group this week:
- Positive Sentiment: UnitedHealth said an external audit found nearly 97% of diagnoses in its HouseCalls home-visit unit were supported by patient medical records, which could help ease concerns about Medicare billing practices and reduce regulatory overhang. Reuters article
- Positive Sentiment: UnitedHealth is investing nearly $1.5 billion in AI for 2026 to expand automation and digital tools, which investors may view as a way to support efficiency and longer-term growth beyond cost savings. Yahoo Finance article
- Positive Sentiment: The company’s push to prioritize profitability over rapid growth, along with Optum expansion and improving margins, is being framed as a potential long-term turnaround catalyst. Yahoo Finance article
- Positive Sentiment: UnitedHealth also expanded coverage of Guardant Health’s Shield blood test for colorectal cancer screening, reinforcing its role in supporting emerging preventive-care tools. Yahoo Finance article
- Neutral Sentiment: Commentary highlighting healthcare-sector strength and a 12.41% rise in a major healthcare ETF may support sentiment for UNH, but it does not specifically change the company’s fundamentals. ETF Trends article
- Neutral Sentiment: Recent articles noting that UNH rebounded sharply in the first half and may still be undervalued suggest investors remain focused on the turnaround, though the pieces are largely opinion-based. Motley Fool article
- Negative Sentiment: New criticism from a Motley Fool piece argues that UnitedHealth may not be the best healthcare investment, which could weigh on sentiment even if it is not tied to a new company event. Motley Fool article
- Negative Sentiment: UnitedHealth and other insurers are suing states over laws targeting pharmacy businesses, and that legal fight may keep regulatory risk in focus for investors. New York Times article
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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