Sustainable Growth Advisers LP Decreases Stock Holdings in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH

Sustainable Growth Advisers LP lessened its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 13.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,422,511 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after selling 217,501 shares during the period. UnitedHealth Group makes up approximately 3.3% of Sustainable Growth Advisers LP’s holdings, making the stock its 13th largest holding. Sustainable Growth Advisers LP’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $469,585,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Beacon Financial Strategies CORP purchased a new stake in UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Anfield Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 220.0% during the 4th quarter. Anfield Capital Management LLC now owns 80 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the period. Joseph Group Capital Management purchased a new stake in UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC raised its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 69.4% during the 3rd quarter. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC now owns 83 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 34 shares during the period. Finally, 1248 Management LLC purchased a new stake in UnitedHealth Group during the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.86% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Patrick Hugh Conway sold 800 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $355.00, for a total transaction of $284,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer 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 document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.28% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Key Headlines Impacting UnitedHealth Group

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

• Positive Sentiment: Truist raised its price target on UnitedHealth Group (UNH) from $395 to $440 and kept a buy rating, reinforcing Wall Street’s confidence in the stock’s upside. Benzinga report on Truist price target increase
• Positive Sentiment: UnitedHealth said it will eliminate nearly two-thirds of pediatric prior authorizations by year-end, a move that could reduce paperwork, speed care access, and improve provider relations. Can UnitedHealth’s Pediatric Authorization Cuts Ease Care Delays?
• Positive Sentiment: Several recent commentary pieces highlighted UNH as a durable long-term cash-flow generator, which may be supporting investor sentiment around its healthcare scale and recurring demand. 247WallSt article
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary and social-media trading chatter showed continued interest in UNH, with traders pointing to support around the mid-$300s and upside targets near $400-$420, but this is more technical sentiment than a fundamental catalyst. Quiver Quantitative discussion summary
• Negative Sentiment: Massachusetts filed a lawsuit accusing UnitedHealth of inflating Medicaid patient risk scores to secure higher payments, adding legal, reputational, and reimbursement risk for the company. UnitedHealth Lawsuit Raises Fresh Questions On Medicaid Revenue And Investor Risk
• Negative Sentiment: Separate reporting on allegations tied to UnitedHealthcare’s Medicare Advantage advertising practices keeps regulatory scrutiny in focus, which can weigh on investor confidence. GlobeNewswire article

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have weighed in on UNH. Mizuho increased their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $410.00 to $440.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 20th. Truist Financial increased their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $395.00 to $440.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday. Argus upgraded UnitedHealth Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $400.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Leerink Partners increased their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $345.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $389.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have assigned a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $399.50.

UnitedHealth Group Price Performance

UNH opened at $380.03 on Tuesday. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 12-month low of $234.60 and a 12-month high of $404.15. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $338.84 and its 200-day simple moving average is $321.92. The company has a market capitalization of $345.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.70, a PEG ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 0.64.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The healthcare conglomerate reported $7.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.76 by $0.47. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 14.65% and a net margin of 2.68%.The business had revenue of $111.65 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $109.84 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $7.20 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 18.250- EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 18.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.