Baillie Gifford & Co. Sells 643,207 Shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH

Baillie Gifford & Co. reduced its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 93.0% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 48,645 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after selling 643,207 shares during the period. Baillie Gifford & Co.’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $16,797,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 176.2% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 44,249 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $22,384,000 after acquiring an additional 28,231 shares in the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC boosted its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 137.1% in the 4th quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 4,019 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $2,033,000 after purchasing an additional 2,324 shares in the last quarter. McAdam LLC increased its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 12.7% during the 2nd quarter. McAdam LLC now owns 1,135 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $354,000 after purchasing an additional 128 shares in the last quarter. CMT Capital Markets Trading GmbH bought a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the second quarter worth approximately $340,000. Finally, Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL bought a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the second quarter valued at approximately $62,000. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have commented on UNH. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $310.00 to $425.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 9th. Zacks Research upgraded UnitedHealth Group from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, October 6th. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $433.00 to $440.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $267.00 to $400.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 7th. Finally, UBS Group raised their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $378.00 to $430.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $386.33.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Up 0.6%

Shares of UNH stock opened at $356.46 on Friday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $332.07 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $323.44. The stock has a market cap of $322.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.60, a P/E/G ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 0.42. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 12 month low of $234.60 and a 12 month high of $606.36. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71.

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

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 16th. Investors of record on Monday, December 8th were paid a dividend of $2.21 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 8th. This represents a $8.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.5%. UnitedHealth Group’s payout ratio is 46.14%.

UnitedHealth Group News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Mizuho reiterated a Buy on UNH and kept a $430 price target, highlighting the importance of the upcoming Medicare Advantage 2027 Advance Notice as a potential tailwind for enrollment and margins. Mizuho reiterates Buy
• Positive Sentiment: Retail sentiment on Reddit and X has moved from deeply bearish to neutral over the past week, helping shares recover after retail-driven selling earlier this month. Reddit sentiment shift
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley trimmed its price target slightly (from $411 to $409) but kept an Overweight rating, signaling continued analyst confidence despite a small technical cut to the target. Morgan Stanley target change
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent commentary and market moves note UNH has outperformed the broader market in short-term trading, reflecting mixed buying interest ahead of the Jan. 27 catalyst. Outperforms broader market
• Negative Sentiment: UnitedHealth executives faced tough questioning from Congress on healthcare affordability — a reminder of political/regulatory risk that could pressure policy outcomes or public perception. Congressional grilling
• Negative Sentiment: UnitedHealth announced it will rebate 2026 ACA plan profits to customers, which could weigh on near-term margins and highlights ongoing regulatory/competitive pressure in the individual market. ACA profit rebate
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts warn of rising medical costs and a higher medical cost ratio (MCR) heading into Q4 results — several pieces advise caution until the Jan. 27 release when clearer margin and cost detail will arrive. Cost pressures warning

About UnitedHealth Group

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.