UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) have been assigned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-seven ratings firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, four have issued a hold recommendation, twenty-one have given a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $411.4167.

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. HC Wainwright set a $492.00 price objective on UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $340.00 to $373.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 20th. HSBC upgraded shares of UnitedHealth Group from a “reduce” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $300.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $278.00 to $287.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, Truist Financial lifted their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $395.00 to $440.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, June 1st.

UnitedHealth Group News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: UnitedHealth began covering Guardant Health’s Shield blood test for colorectal cancer screening for eligible members, making it the first major commercial insurer to back the test for adults 45 and older. That could strengthen UnitedHealth’s preventative-care offering and support its long-term growth image. UnitedHealth Group Now Covers Guardant Health’s Shield Blood Test for Colorectal Cancer Screening
• Positive Sentiment: Several recent articles highlight UnitedHealth as an “attracting investor attention” name and a potential turnaround candidate heading into its next earnings report, which can keep sentiment elevated if investors expect operational improvement. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (UNH) is Attracting Investor Attention: Here is What You Should Know
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts and commentary pieces say UnitedHealth’s valuation still looks “reasonable” despite a strong one-year gain, suggesting the stock is being judged on whether future growth can justify the run-up rather than on any fresh operational surprise. UnitedHealth (UNH) Stock Looks Reasonable Even After A 42% Gain
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader healthcare-stock roundup articles and Q1 peer-comparison coverage do not point to a company-specific catalyst for UnitedHealth, but they keep UNH in focus as investors rotate within managed care and healthcare providers. Q1 Earnings Highs And Lows: UnitedHealth (NYSE:UNH) Vs The Rest Of The Health Insurance Providers Stocks
• Negative Sentiment: One article flagged a “Medicare reset” for UnitedHealth, which may reflect ongoing pressure or uncertainty around reimbursement and government-program exposure—an area investors tend to watch closely for margin risk. UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) Faces Medicare Reset

UnitedHealth Group Price Performance

UNH opened at $424.64 on Friday. The stock 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. UnitedHealth Group has a 12 month low of $234.60 and a 12 month high of $430.20. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $392.87 and a 200 day simple moving average of $335.64.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The healthcare conglomerate reported $7.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.76 by $0.47. The firm had revenue of $111.65 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $109.84 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 14.65% and a net margin of 2.68%.The company’s revenue was up 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $7.20 earnings per share. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 18.250- EPS. On average, research analysts expect that UnitedHealth Group will post 18.32 EPS for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Increases Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling at UnitedHealth Group

In other news, CEO Patrick Hugh Conway sold 800 shares of UnitedHealth Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $355.00, for a total value of $284,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 17,805 shares in the company, valued at $6,320,775. This trade represents a 4.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.28% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On UnitedHealth Group

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 176.2% in 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 during the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC increased its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 137.1% during the fourth quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 4,019 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $2,033,000 after buying an additional 2,324 shares during the last quarter. CMT Capital Markets Trading GmbH acquired a new stake in UnitedHealth Group in the second quarter valued at $340,000. Flow Traders U.S. LLC bought a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the 2nd quarter valued at about $356,000. Finally, Jump Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the 2nd quarter valued at about $377,000. 87.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.