AltraVue Capital LLC Grows Stock Position in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH

AltraVue Capital LLC boosted its stake in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 3.8% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 78,460 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after buying an additional 2,840 shares during the quarter. UnitedHealth Group makes up about 2.1% of AltraVue Capital LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 18th biggest holding. AltraVue Capital LLC’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $25,900,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Syon Capital LLC raised its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 15.0% in the 4th quarter. Syon Capital LLC now owns 9,624 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $3,177,000 after purchasing an additional 1,255 shares in the last quarter. Capital World Investors grew its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 3.8% during the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 22,591,042 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $7,457,723,000 after acquiring an additional 824,120 shares in the last quarter. Capital International Sarl grew its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 5.0% during the 4th quarter. Capital International Sarl now owns 34,233 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $11,301,000 after acquiring an additional 1,637 shares in the last quarter. Capital International Inc. CA raised its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 6.6% during the 4th quarter. Capital International Inc. CA now owns 421,019 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $138,983,000 after acquiring an additional 26,085 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capital International Investors raised its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 6.6% during the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 18,655,111 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $6,158,734,000 after acquiring an additional 1,155,162 shares in the last quarter. 87.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

UnitedHealth Group Trading Up 1.0%

NYSE:UNH opened at $400.61 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $348.12 and a 200 day simple moving average of $323.59. The firm has a market capitalization of $363.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 0.64. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 1-year low of $234.60 and a 1-year high of $404.15.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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. The firm had revenue of $111.65 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $109.84 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 14.65% and a net margin of 2.68%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $7.20 EPS. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 18.250- EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 18.32 earnings per share for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 23rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be issued a dividend of $2.32 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 15th. This represents a $9.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.3%. This is a positive change from UnitedHealth Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.21. UnitedHealth Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 66.77%.

Key UnitedHealth Group News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America upgraded UnitedHealth Group to Buy and raised its price target to $450, citing improving medical cost trends and a better risk/reward setup heading into earnings. Article link
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley also lifted its price target on UNH to $453 and kept an Overweight rating, reinforcing the view that sentiment is improving. Article link
• Positive Sentiment: UnitedHealth raised its quarterly dividend by 5% to $2.32 per share, extending its long streak of annual dividend increases and signaling financial strength. Article link
• Positive Sentiment: Healthcare stocks, including UnitedHealth, are benefiting from a broader sector rebound as investors seek defensive stability and rotate out of more volatile areas of the market. Article link
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent coverage notes that UNH has already recovered sharply year to date, outpacing the broader market and its industry peer group. Article link
• Negative Sentiment: Some articles continue to highlight ongoing concerns around rising medical costs, managed-care scrutiny, and the stock’s earlier challenges, which could limit upside if operating trends worsen. Article link

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently issued reports on UNH. Raymond James Financial raised UnitedHealth Group from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $330.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. 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 report on Tuesday, April 28th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $340.00 to $373.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, April 20th. UBS Group increased their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $410.00 to $460.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $370.00 to $397.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have issued a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has given 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 $404.42.

Insider Buying and Selling at UnitedHealth Group

In related news, CEO Patrick Hugh Conway sold 800 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 of the company’s stock, 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

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.