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

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the twenty-nine analysts that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, twenty have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $378.88.

A number of brokerages have weighed in on UNH. Truist Financial restated a “buy” rating and issued a $395.00 price objective (up from $370.00) on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $361.00 to $400.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Mizuho decreased their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $430.00 to $350.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $405.00 to $411.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $375.00 to $395.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd.

Insider Activity at UnitedHealth Group

In other news, CEO Patrick Hugh Conway sold 800 shares of UnitedHealth Group 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 transaction, the chief executive officer owned 17,805 shares in the company, valued at $6,320,775. The trade was a 4.30% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.28% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Gateway Wealth Partners LLC grew its position in UnitedHealth Group by 241.8% in the 1st quarter. Gateway Wealth Partners LLC now owns 7,609 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $2,059,000 after acquiring an additional 5,383 shares in the last quarter. Delta Global Management LP acquired a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the 1st quarter valued at about $1,637,000. Everest Financial Group LLC grew its position in UnitedHealth Group by 17.6% in the 1st quarter. Everest Financial Group LLC now owns 33,965 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $9,190,000 after acquiring an additional 5,078 shares in the last quarter. Lombard Odier Asset Management Switzerland SA grew its position in UnitedHealth Group by 5.8% in the 1st quarter. Lombard Odier Asset Management Switzerland SA now owns 48,003 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $12,989,000 after acquiring an additional 2,615 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mustico Financial Group Inc. grew its position in UnitedHealth Group by 117.0% in the 1st quarter. Mustico Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,621 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $439,000 after acquiring an additional 874 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.86% of the company’s stock.

UnitedHealth Group Trading Down 1.4%

Shares of NYSE:UNH opened at $393.65 on Friday. UnitedHealth Group has a 1 year low of $234.60 and a 1 year high of $404.15. The firm has a market capitalization of $357.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 0.64. 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 business’s 50 day moving average price is $316.82 and its 200-day moving average price is $318.53.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 21st. The healthcare conglomerate reported $7.23 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.76 by $0.47. The company had revenue of $111.65 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $109.84 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 14.65% and a net margin of 2.68%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $7.20 EPS. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 18.250- EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that UnitedHealth Group will post 18.29 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. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 9th were issued a dividend of $2.21 per share. This represents a $8.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 9th. UnitedHealth Group’s payout ratio is currently 66.77%.

More UnitedHealth Group News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Erste Group Bank slightly raised its earnings estimates for UnitedHealth and kept a Buy rating, reinforcing the view that the company’s profit outlook remains solid. MarketBeat UNH report
• Positive Sentiment: Recent commentary remains upbeat after UnitedHealth’s strong first-quarter results, with analysts and market watchers pointing to a substantial rebound since March lows and improved investor confidence in the stock’s longer-term earnings power. Seeking Alpha article
• Neutral Sentiment: The broader market tone was positive, with major indexes closing higher and hitting new highs, which may have helped sentiment across large-cap healthcare stocks.
• Negative Sentiment: Berkshire Hathaway disclosed that it sold several smaller holdings, including UnitedHealth, which may raise concerns that a high-profile investor is reducing exposure to the stock. Reuters 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.