Strs Ohio Decreases Position in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH

Strs Ohio decreased its stake in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 4.4% in the first quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 496,193 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after selling 23,019 shares during the period. UnitedHealth Group comprises about 0.5% of Strs Ohio’s holdings, making the stock its 26th biggest position. Strs Ohio’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $134,265,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in UnitedHealth Group by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 91,600,260 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $30,238,162,000 after acquiring an additional 995,210 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 45,232,170 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $14,931,592,000 after purchasing an additional 1,119,834 shares during the period. Capital World Investors raised its position in UnitedHealth Group by 3.8% in the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 22,591,042 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $7,457,723,000 after purchasing an additional 824,120 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 3.7% in the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 18,829,054 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $6,215,660,000 after purchasing an additional 680,077 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Capital International Investors grew its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 6.6% during the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 18,655,111 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $6,158,734,000 after buying an additional 1,155,162 shares during the last quarter. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently issued reports on UNH. Barclays boosted their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $373.00 to $429.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 26th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $370.00 to $397.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Tuesday, June 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $340.00 to $373.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Finally, UBS Group raised their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $410.00 to $460.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have given a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $411.42.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Performance

Shares of UnitedHealth Group stock opened at $424.64 on Friday. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 12 month low of $234.60 and a 12 month high of $430.20. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $391.45 and its 200-day moving average price is $335.01. The firm has a market cap of $385.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.07, a P/E/G ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 0.62. 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 issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The healthcare conglomerate reported $7.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.76 by $0.47. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 2.68% and a return on equity of 14.65%. The company had revenue of $111.65 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $109.84 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $7.20 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 18.250- EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 18.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 23rd. Investors of record on Monday, June 15th were paid a $2.32 dividend. This represents a $9.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.2%. This is a positive change from UnitedHealth Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.21. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 15th. UnitedHealth Group’s payout ratio is presently 70.09%.

Trending Headlines about UnitedHealth Group

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

• Positive Sentiment: UnitedHealth was highlighted in an article arguing that its turnaround is continuing into the upcoming Q2 report, which suggests investors are looking for improving fundamentals and potential upside if execution stays on track. UnitedHealth Group: The Turnaround Continues Into The Q2 Report
• Positive Sentiment: Guardant Health said UnitedHealth will begin covering its Shield blood test for colorectal cancer screening on August 1, a move that may reinforce UNH’s reputation for supporting preventive care and could be viewed favorably by investors. UnitedHealth Group Now Covers Guardant Health’s Shield Blood Test for Colorectal Cancer Screening
• Neutral Sentiment: Several articles focused on UNH being “attracting investor attention” and on its Q1 earnings relative to peers, but these pieces were mostly informational rather than new catalysts, so they likely contributed to trading interest more than a decisive price move. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (UNH) is Attracting Investor Attention: Here is What You Should Know Q1 Earnings Highs And Lows: UnitedHealth (NYSE:UNH) Vs The Rest Of The Health Insurance Providers Stocks
• Negative Sentiment: One piece warned that UnitedHealth faces a “Medicare reset,” which points to potential pressure on the company’s Medicare Advantage economics and could weigh on sentiment if reimbursement or margin assumptions soften. UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) Faces Medicare Reset

Insider Transactions 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 value of $284,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 17,805 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,320,775. This trade represents a 4.30% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

UnitedHealth Group 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.