Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management Trims Stake in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH

Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management lowered its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 30.6% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 4,984 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after selling 2,199 shares during the quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $1,349,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Sarver Vrooman Wealth Advisors bought a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Beacon Financial Strategies CORP purchased a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Anfield Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 220.0% during the fourth quarter. Anfield Capital Management LLC now owns 80 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Joseph Group Capital Management purchased a new stake in UnitedHealth Group in the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Finally, Nalls Sherbakoff Group LLC purchased a new stake in UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.86% of the company’s stock.

UnitedHealth Group Trading Down 1.8%

Shares of NYSE:UNH opened at $417.33 on Thursday. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $402.80 and its 200-day simple moving average is $341.04. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 12-month low of $234.60 and a 12-month high of $434.30. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The company has a market capitalization of $378.99 billion, a PE ratio of 31.52, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.62.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The healthcare conglomerate reported $7.23 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.76 by $0.47. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 2.68% and a return on equity of 14.65%. The business had revenue of $111.65 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $109.84 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $7.20 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 18.250- EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 18.39 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 23rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th were given a dividend of $2.32 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 15th. This is a boost from UnitedHealth Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.21. This represents a $9.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. UnitedHealth Group’s payout ratio is currently 70.09%.

Insider Buying and Selling at UnitedHealth Group

In other news, CEO Patrick Hugh Conway sold 800 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 17,805 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,320,775. This trade represents a 4.30% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.28% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on UNH shares. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Tuesday, June 23rd. HC Wainwright set a $492.00 price objective on UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. HSBC lifted their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $300.00 to $380.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Thursday, June 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $397.00 to $485.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have given a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $429.50.

UnitedHealth Group News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Truist raised its price target on UnitedHealth Group to $480 and maintained a buy rating, signaling confidence in further upside ahead of earnings. UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) Price Target Raised to $480.00 at Truist Financial
• Positive Sentiment: KeyCorp lifted its price target to $475 and kept an overweight rating, adding to the bullish analyst backdrop for UNH. UnitedHealth Group had its price target raised by KeyCorp from $400.00 to $475.00.
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research upgraded UnitedHealth to strong-buy and nudged up future EPS estimates, reinforcing expectations that the company can beat earnings again. UnitedHealth Group was upgraded by Zacks Research from hold to strong-buy.
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts have been raising earnings forecasts for UnitedHealth, and several reports argue the company has a strong chance to top Q2 expectations based on its historical surprise record and favorable earnings setup. Will UnitedHealth (UNH) Beat Estimates Again in Its Next Earnings Report?
• Neutral Sentiment: UNH is scheduled to report second-quarter results on July 16, so trading is being driven in part by positioning ahead of the earnings release. UnitedHealth Stock Forecast: Piper Sandler Analyst and Technical Indicators Point to Upside Ahead of Q2 Earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: Technical indicators and some market commentary suggest the stock may have room to move higher after earnings, but this is still contingent on the actual results and outlook. UnitedHealth Reports Earnings Thursday. Here’s How Much Its Stock Is Seen Moving
• Negative Sentiment: Broader managed-care stocks sold off after Elevance Health highlighted margin pressure and weak Medicaid-spending trends, which could weigh on sentiment toward UnitedHealth ahead of its report. Why Elevance Earnings Gave Health Insurance Stocks A Cold; UNH Up Next

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.