McKinley Carter Wealth Services Inc. Lowers Holdings in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH

McKinley Carter Wealth Services Inc. lowered its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 90.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,724 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after selling 17,169 shares during the period. McKinley Carter Wealth Services Inc.’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $595,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Brighton Jones LLC grew its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 176.2% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 44,249 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $22,384,000 after buying an additional 28,231 shares in the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 137.1% in the fourth quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 4,019 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $2,033,000 after purchasing an additional 2,324 shares in the last quarter. CMT Capital Markets Trading GmbH bought a new position in UnitedHealth Group during the second quarter valued at $340,000. Patriot Financial Group Insurance Agency LLC raised its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 42.5% during the 2nd quarter. Patriot Financial Group Insurance Agency LLC now owns 5,312 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $1,657,000 after buying an additional 1,583 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Montz Harcus Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 12.2% in the 2nd quarter. Montz Harcus Wealth Management LLC now owns 679 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $212,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.86% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting UnitedHealth Group

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 beat and near-term optimism: UNH reported an EPS beat that briefly lifted sentiment and helped the stock rally after the print. That positive earnings surprise shows operations can still deliver despite headwinds. UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) Shares Up 4% After Earnings Beat
• Positive Sentiment: Potential policy upside: Commentary that UNH is negotiating with the administration for more favorable Medicare rates is a tailwind if realized, supporting longer-term policy risk mitigation. 5 Stocks Primed for a Turnaround in 2026
• Neutral Sentiment: Modest analyst adjustments but continued support: Morgan Stanley trimmed its target slightly while keeping an Overweight rating, signaling analyst conviction remains even as near-term assumptions are revised. UnitedHealth (UNH) Sees Modest Target Cut at Morgan Stanley
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor debate on durability: Several analyst pieces argue the current weakness may be temporary (AI-driven efficiencies, margin recovery) — this creates mixed near-term flows as value buyers size positions vs. risk-averse sellers. UnitedHealth: Opportunity Is Here – Temporary FY2026 Pain
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst price-target cuts: Barclays and Wells Fargo lowered targets (while keeping Overweight ratings), signaling reduced near-term expectations and likely weighing on buying momentum. Analyst Price Target Changes (Benzinga)
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory/reimbursement pressure: Proposed smaller Medicare reimbursements and government scrutiny of insurer margins remain the largest catalyst for the sell-off and uncertainty around 2026-27 margins. UnitedHealth Plunges After Weak Earnings
• Negative Sentiment: Elevated bearish positioning: Unusual options activity showed a large jump in put buying, indicating short-term hedging or speculative bearish bets that can amplify downward moves. (Options volume data reported 376,697 puts traded vs. average ~163k.)

UnitedHealth Group Price Performance

UNH opened at $287.03 on Friday. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 1 year low of $234.60 and a 1 year high of $606.36. The firm has a market capitalization of $260.00 billion, a PE ratio of 21.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.82. The business’s 50-day moving average is $330.74 and its two-hundred day moving average is $323.51.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 27th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $2.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.09 by $0.02. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 2.69% and a return on equity of 14.79%. The firm had revenue of $113.22 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $113.38 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $6.81 EPS. The company’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. Research analysts anticipate that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 16th. Investors of record on Monday, December 8th were given a $2.21 dividend. This represents a $8.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 8th. UnitedHealth Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 67.02%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently weighed in on UNH shares. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $411.00 to $409.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. TD Cowen raised their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $335.00 to $338.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $418.00 to $340.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. UBS Group dropped their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $430.00 to $410.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Leerink Partners lowered their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $410.00 to $345.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. One research 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 issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, UnitedHealth Group has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $376.75.

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.