UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) Trading Down 1.9% – Should You Sell?

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) traded down 1.9% on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $332.85 and last traded at $334.00. 5,516,764 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 18% from the average session volume of 6,696,089 shares. The stock had previously closed at $340.51.

Key UnitedHealth Group News

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

• Positive Sentiment: ACA subsidy extension and company guidance — The Senate’s recent decision to extend Affordable Care Act subsidies (and the market’s subsequent rollback of fears those subsidies would expire) reduces a material enrollment/revenue risk; UnitedHealth also reaffirmed full‑year 2026 guidance, supporting upside to earnings expectations. UnitedHealth Could Re-Take Its All-Time High In 2026
• Positive Sentiment: Bullish investor thesis / inflection commentary — Analyst commentary arguing that an earnings/operating inflection is imminent has circulated, reinforcing the view that recent weakness may be a buying opportunity if guidance and margin trends hold. UnitedHealth: Inflection Confirmation Imminent
• Positive Sentiment: Independent studies supporting Medicare Advantage economics — Milliman-commissioned studies released by UnitedHealth argue MA delivers lower federal costs and lower out-of-pocket costs for beneficiaries versus traditional Medicare, which supports the company’s core business narrative. New Independent Studies: Medicare Advantage Delivers Greater Value
• Neutral Sentiment: Media/investor mentions — Coverage and stock-picking shows continue to highlight UNH as a watchlist name; useful for investor attention but not an immediate fundamental driver. Final Trades: Capital One, UnitedHealth, Regeneron and Alibaba
• Negative Sentiment: Senate committee report on aggressive Medicare Advantage tactics — A Senate investigation and WSJ reporting say UnitedHealth used aggressive diagnosis‑collection tactics that could boost MA payments, creating potential regulatory, compliance and reimbursement risk and prompting near‑term negative sentiment. Senate report says UnitedHealth used aggressive tactics to boost medicare payments, WSJ reports
• Negative Sentiment: Follow‑on scrutiny and market reaction — Broad media coverage (WSJ, MSN, Investing.com) and commentary about renewed scrutiny into nursing‑home practices and MA coding has driven selling pressure and elevated headline risk, which can pressure the stock until regulatory clarity or disclosures reduce uncertainty. UnitedHealth Group deployed aggressive tactics to collect payment-boosting diagnoses

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on UNH shares. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $267.00 to $400.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 7th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded shares of UnitedHealth Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $333.00 price target for the company. in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $310.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 9th. UBS Group upped their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $378.00 to $430.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. Finally, KeyCorp raised their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $350.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $385.75.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $302.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.43, a P/E/G ratio of 2.08 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 0.82. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $329.65 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $321.60.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 28th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $2.92 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.87 by $0.05. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 4.04% and a return on equity of 19.23%. The firm had revenue of $113.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $113.19 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $7.15 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 12.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 8th were issued a dividend of $2.21 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 8th. This represents a $8.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.6%. UnitedHealth Group’s dividend payout ratio is 46.14%.

Institutional Trading of UnitedHealth Group

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Mather Group LLC. grew its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 4.5% during the 4th quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 4,066 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $1,342,000 after acquiring an additional 174 shares in the last quarter. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH grew its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH now owns 467,502 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $154,327,000 after purchasing an additional 2,454 shares in the last quarter. Norden Group LLC raised its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 11.9% in the fourth quarter. Norden Group LLC now owns 4,389 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $1,449,000 after buying an additional 468 shares in the last quarter. Sendero Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 8.6% during the 4th quarter. Sendero Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,650 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $2,195,000 after acquiring an additional 525 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Stableford Capital II LLC raised its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 29.6% during the 4th quarter. Stableford Capital II LLC now owns 3,879 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $1,280,000 after acquiring an additional 886 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.86% of the company’s stock.

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.