Barclays Issues Pessimistic Forecast for UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) Stock Price

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) had its price objective dropped by research analysts at Barclays from $391.00 to $327.00 in a research note issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an “overweight” rating on the healthcare conglomerate’s stock. Barclays‘s price objective would indicate a potential upside of 14.44% from the company’s previous close.

Several other research analysts also recently commented on UNH. Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Tuesday. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $418.00 to $340.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Mizuho increased their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $300.00 to $430.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 9th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut shares of UnitedHealth Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $333.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $335.00 to $338.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $376.75.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Performance

NYSE:UNH traded down $6.55 on Friday, reaching $285.74. 4,105,829 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 11,191,933. The firm has a market cap of $258.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.69, a P/E/G ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.82. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $331.39 and a 200-day simple moving average of $323.38. UnitedHealth Group has a 52 week low of $234.60 and a 52 week high of $606.36.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 27th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $2.11 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.09 by $0.02. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 2.69% and a return on equity of 14.79%. The business had revenue of $113.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $113.38 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $6.81 EPS. UnitedHealth Group’s revenue was up 12.3% compared to the same quarter last year. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.750- EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that UnitedHealth Group will post 29.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in UNH. Norges Bank bought a new stake in UnitedHealth Group in the 2nd quarter worth $3,837,207,000. Capital Research Global Investors boosted its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 126.9% during the third quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 13,042,049 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $4,503,419,000 after acquiring an additional 7,293,009 shares in the last quarter. Berkshire Hathaway Inc purchased a new position in UnitedHealth Group during the second quarter valued at $1,572,193,000. Dodge & Cox grew its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 117.7% in the second quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 8,750,560 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $2,729,912,000 after acquiring an additional 4,730,192 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Capital World Investors raised its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 18.8% in the 3rd quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 21,766,922 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $7,516,107,000 after purchasing an additional 3,439,182 shares during the last quarter. 87.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting UnitedHealth Group

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

• Positive Sentiment: Several research firms kept bullish ratings (Overweight/Buy/Outperform) despite trimming price targets, which supports a potential recovery if fundamentals stabilize — examples include Wells Fargo (pt lowered to $370, still Overweight). Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Some analysts and commentators argue the sell-off overshot the fundamentals and label UNH as a buying opportunity based on cash-flow and long-term positioning. See bullish analysis arguing the decline creates value. UnitedHealth: Opportunity Is Here – Temporary FY2026 Pain
• Neutral Sentiment: Q4/early FY2026 results were mixed: a slight EPS beat but revenue/margin guidance and CMS payment signals disappointed, putting 2026 in a “transitional” category — this explains the volatility while the company executes margin-recovery plans. (Company results and guidance referenced in recent coverage.)
• Neutral Sentiment: After the report UNH briefly bounced (some ETFs and day-traders pushed a short-term rebound). Coverage noted a short-term 4% pop after the mixed Q4 print. UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) Shares Up 4% After Earnings Beat
• Negative Sentiment: The catalyst for the large drop appears to be CMS/Medicare payment updates and a cautious FY2026 outlook that materially reduced investor confidence — several articles directly link the CMS rate “shock” to the multi-billion-dollar market-cap wipe. Stock Market Today, Jan. 27: UnitedHealth Group Plunges Almost 20% After Weak Earnings
• Negative Sentiment: Heavy bearish positioning: unusually large put-option buying (puts up ~131% vs average) signals traders are positioning for further downside or hedging aggressive exposure.
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple firms have trimmed price targets in the last 48 hours (Jefferies, Oppenheimer, Leerink, RBC and others), which reduces the short-term upside consensus and likely pressured sentiment. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Political/insider selling headlines and analyst commentary warning “sell” or “trap” narratives amplified fear in the tape, accelerating the move lower.

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.