UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH Holdings Decreased by Arizona State Retirement System

Arizona State Retirement System decreased its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 264,963 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after selling 2,446 shares during the period. UnitedHealth Group makes up 0.5% of Arizona State Retirement System’s portfolio, making the stock its 27th biggest position. Arizona State Retirement System’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $91,492,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in UNH. Argent Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 60.2% during the third quarter. Argent Advisors Inc. now owns 1,040 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $359,000 after purchasing an additional 391 shares in the last quarter. Cahill Financial Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 3.9% in the 3rd quarter. Cahill Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 4,805 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $1,659,000 after buying an additional 181 shares in the last quarter. IFC Advisors LLC bought a new position in UnitedHealth Group during the third quarter valued at about $204,000. Ritter Daniher Financial Advisory LLC DE raised its position in UnitedHealth Group by 129.2% in the third quarter. Ritter Daniher Financial Advisory LLC DE now owns 1,460 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $504,000 after acquiring an additional 823 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Alpha Cubed Investments LLC boosted its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 250.5% during the third quarter. Alpha Cubed Investments LLC now owns 124,682 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $43,053,000 after buying an additional 89,105 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.86% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UNH has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Barclays increased their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $386.00 to $391.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $418.00 to $340.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $408.00 to $361.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein restated an “outperform” rating on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Wednesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, UnitedHealth Group presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $380.67.

Key Headlines Impacting UnitedHealth Group

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

• Positive Sentiment: Market and analyst support — Several firms kept buy/overweight ratings or reiterated long-term confidence after the Q4 release, arguing the sell-off may be overdone and highlighting UnitedHealth’s underlying margin initiatives and long-term fundamentals. UnitedHealth Q4 Earnings Review: The Selloff Looks Overdone After Results
• Positive Sentiment: Short-term rebound in ETFs — Healthcare ETFs and related funds moved as UNH bounced (~4% at one point) on a mixed Q4 print plus commentary that 2026 cost trends could improve, which likely supported intraday buying from funds and momentum traders. Healthcare ETFs in Focus as UnitedHealth Rises 4% Post Mixed Q4 Results
• Neutral Sentiment: Modest analyst target tweaks — Morgan Stanley trimmed its price target slightly to $409 but kept an Overweight rating, signaling stabilized expectations rather than a wholesale shift in conviction. This is a modest signal versus outright downgrades. UnitedHealth (UNH) Sees Modest Target Cut at Morgan Stanley as Outlook Stabilizes
• Negative Sentiment: Large put-option activity — Unusually high put buying (376,697 contracts, +131% vs. typical volume) indicates elevated downside hedging or speculative bearish positioning, increasing near-term downside pressure on the stock.
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst price-target cuts — Multiple firms reduced targets (examples: Jefferies to $340, Leerink to $345, Oppenheimer to $385, RBC to $361, UBS trimmed targets), which amplifies pessimism around near-term earnings/guidance and contributes to downward momentum.
• Negative Sentiment: Guidance & Medicare payment shock — The main catalyst for the rout was a cautious FY2026 outlook and disappointing Medicare Advantage payment updates; investors marked the company down sharply on lower-than-expected forward cash/earnings visibility. UnitedHealth (UNH) Loses 19.6% on Weak Outlook, Medicare Payment Update
• Negative Sentiment: Political stock sales & market-cap hit — Reports of politicians selling UNH before the crash and headlines about a $50–99 billion market-cap loss have heightened scrutiny and negative sentiment, which can prolong volatility. These 3 U.S. politicians suspiciously dumped UnitedHealth stock weeks before crash
• Negative Sentiment: Bearish commentary and “trap” warnings — Multiple op-eds and analyst notes argue the recovery may take time or that buying the dip could be a trap; that negative narrative is pressuring demand for the stock in the near term. UnitedHealth: Buying The Dip Could Be A Trap

UnitedHealth Group Stock Down 0.6%

UNH stock opened at $292.20 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $331.39 and a two-hundred day moving average of $323.38. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 12-month low of $234.60 and a 12-month high of $606.36. The company has a market cap of $264.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.15, a PEG ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 0.42.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 27th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $2.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.09 by $0.02. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 14.79% and a net margin of 2.69%.The business had revenue of $113.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $113.38 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $6.81 earnings per share. UnitedHealth Group’s quarterly revenue was up 12.3% compared to the same quarter last year. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.750- EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 16th. Investors of record on Monday, December 8th were given a dividend of $2.21 per share. This represents a $8.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 8th. UnitedHealth Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 67.02%.

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.