Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Buys 73,993 Shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 526.3% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 88,053 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after buying an additional 73,993 shares during the period. Jefferies Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $29,067,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of UNH. Beacon Financial Strategies CORP acquired a new stake in UnitedHealth Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Anfield Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 220.0% in the 4th quarter. Anfield Capital Management LLC now owns 80 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Joseph Group Capital Management acquired a new stake in UnitedHealth Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC lifted its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 69.4% in the 3rd quarter. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC now owns 83 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Finally, 1248 Management LLC acquired a new stake in UnitedHealth Group during the third quarter worth approximately $29,000. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

More UnitedHealth Group News

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

• Positive Sentiment: UBS raised its price target on UnitedHealth Group to $460 from $410 and reiterated a Buy rating, signaling meaningful upside from current levels. Benzinga report on UBS target increase
• Positive Sentiment: UnitedHealth was highlighted by multiple outlets as a high-quality stock and a turnaround bet, with commentary noting that managed care is outgrowing the broader economy and that the company is benefiting from AI adoption in operations. Motley Fool article on AI and turnaround
• Neutral Sentiment: UnitedHealth also appeared in a hedge-fund “high quality stocks” list and a Goldman Sachs conviction-list discussion, which supports the stock’s investment case but does not change fundamentals on its own. InsiderMonkey article on turnaround case
• Negative Sentiment: There is still headline risk around Medicare Advantage overpayments, with a Congressional committee estimating about $7 billion annually in excess payments to private insurers, which could keep regulatory scrutiny on managed-care names like UNH. 247WallSt article on Medicare Advantage overpayments
• Negative Sentiment: Recent discussion also noted that Berkshire-linked selling contributed to a prior stock slide, underscoring that investor sentiment can still turn quickly. Barchart article on Berkshire stake sale

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UNH has been the subject of several research reports. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $278.00 to $287.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. HSBC upgraded shares of UnitedHealth Group from a “reduce” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $300.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. Barclays raised 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. Argus upgraded shares of UnitedHealth Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $400.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $389.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have given a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $387.57.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Up 1.6%

Shares of UNH opened at $388.42 on Friday. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 12 month low of $234.60 and a 12 month high of $404.15. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $326.93 and its 200-day moving average is $319.63. The stock has a market capitalization of $352.74 billion, a PE ratio of 29.34, a P/E/G ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 0.64. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last announced 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $109.84 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 2.68% and a return on equity of 14.65%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $7.20 earnings per share. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 18.250- EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 18.29 EPS for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 17th. Investors 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 of this dividend was Monday, March 9th. UnitedHealth Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 66.77%.

Insider Transactions at UnitedHealth Group

In related news, CEO Patrick Hugh Conway sold 800 shares of UnitedHealth Group stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $6,320,775. This trade represents a 4.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.28% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.