UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) Shares Down 2% – Time to Sell?

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)’s share price fell 2% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $338.04 and last traded at $341.9570. 7,380,764 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 7% from the average session volume of 7,907,353 shares. The stock had previously closed at $348.97.

More UnitedHealth Group News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Evercore analysts upgraded UnitedHealth to a “strong-buy,” signaling confidence in 2026 growth and supporting near-term upside for the stock. Evercore Analysts Love UnitedHealth Stock for 2026. Should You Buy UNH Here?
• Positive Sentiment: Bernstein raised its price target to $444 (from $440) and kept an Outperform rating, which supports higher valuation expectations for UNH. Bernstein Lifts PT on UnitedHealth Group (UNH) to $444 From $440
• Positive Sentiment: Barclays bumped its target to $391 and kept an Overweight rating, citing managed-care margin recovery that could lift UNH in 2026. UnitedHealth (UNH) Poised to Benefit as Investor Focus Shifts Away From AI, Says Barclays
• Positive Sentiment: Evercore ISI’s upgrade earlier in the week drove a short-term bounce (shares were reported up ~2% on the call), reinforcing analyst conviction that could attract flow into UNH. Zacks / Evercore ISI upgrade reporting
• Neutral Sentiment: The healthcare sector’s rebound and ETF inflows (e.g., Vanguard Health Care ETF) are creating a supportive backdrop for UNH as investors rotate into under-owned healthcare names. This ETF Is Proof That the Healthcare Rebound Is Real
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage pieces note rising analyst confidence is changing UNH’s investment story—more upgrades and target lifts can reduce short-term volatility but also price in expectations. How Rising Analyst Confidence At UnitedHealth Group (UNH) Has Changed Its Investment Story
• Negative Sentiment: An explanatory piece outlines factors that have recently hit UnitedHealth’s performance (operational or market pressures referenced), which helps explain why shares are softer despite bullish analyst action. Here’s What Hit UnitedHealth Group’s (UNH) Performance

Analysts Set New Price Targets

UNH has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Piper Sandler lowered their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $423.00 to $417.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 28th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $325.00 to $395.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, September 12th. Leerink Partners set a $410.00 price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $267.00 to $400.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 7th. Finally, Mizuho increased their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $300.00 to $430.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $385.75.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $311.46 billion, a PE ratio of 17.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.09 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’s 50 day moving average price is $329.51 and its 200-day moving average price is $321.09.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 28th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $2.92 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.87 by $0.05. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 19.23% and a net margin of 4.04%.The company had revenue of $113.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $113.19 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $7.15 earnings per share. UnitedHealth Group’s quarterly revenue was up 12.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 EPS for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced 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 of this dividend was Monday, December 8th. This represents a $8.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. UnitedHealth Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 46.14%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On UnitedHealth Group

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in UNH. Brighton Jones LLC increased its position in UnitedHealth Group by 176.2% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 44,249 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $22,384,000 after purchasing an additional 28,231 shares during the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC grew its position in UnitedHealth Group by 137.1% in the fourth quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 4,019 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $2,033,000 after acquiring an additional 2,324 shares during the period. Bayforest Capital Ltd lifted its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 685.7% in the 1st quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd now owns 55 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Fortis Capital Advisors LLC raised its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 59.1% in the 1st quarter. Fortis Capital Advisors LLC now owns 619 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $324,000 after buying an additional 230 shares during the period. Finally, WBI Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the first quarter valued at about $316,000. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.