UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) Price Target Raised to $478.00 at Royal Bank Of Canada

Posted by ABMN Staff on Jul 18th, 2026

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH – Free Report) had its price objective increased by Royal Bank Of Canada from $463.00 to $478.00 in a research report sent to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. Royal Bank Of Canada currently has an outperform rating on the healthcare conglomerate’s stock.

Several other equities research analysts have also issued reports on UNH. Bank of America lifted their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $450.00 to $475.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Thursday, June 11th. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $373.00 to $429.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 26th. KeyCorp boosted their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $400.00 to $475.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Truist Financial lifted their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $440.00 to $480.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have issued a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $447.29.

View Our Latest Report on UNH

UnitedHealth Group Price Performance

UNH stock opened at $426.39 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $404.81 and a 200-day moving average of $342.28. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $387.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 0.62. UnitedHealth Group has a 12 month low of $234.60 and a 12 month high of $461.62.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH – Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 16th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.94 by $1.44. The business had revenue of $112.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $110.81 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 3.14% and a return on equity of 16.53%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up .4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $4.08 EPS. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 19.500-20.000 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that UnitedHealth Group will post 19.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Increases Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling at UnitedHealth Group

In other UnitedHealth Group news, CEO Patrick Hugh Conway sold 800 shares of the company’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 transaction of $284,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 17,805 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,320,775. This represents a 4.30% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On UnitedHealth Group

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in UNH. Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 4.2% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 91,496 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $30,287,000 after acquiring an additional 3,720 shares in the last quarter. Vaughan David Investments LLC IL raised its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 2.7% during the fourth quarter. Vaughan David Investments LLC IL now owns 150,773 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $49,772,000 after purchasing an additional 3,934 shares during the period. Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. grew its position in UnitedHealth Group by 1,287.2% in the 1st quarter. Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. now owns 60,022 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $16,241,000 after purchasing an additional 55,695 shares during the period. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG raised its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 127.6% during the fourth quarter. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG now owns 34,947 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $11,536,000 after buying an additional 19,591 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd grew its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 6.5% during the third quarter. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd now owns 291,853 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $100,777,000 after buying an additional 17,684 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.86% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting UnitedHealth Group

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

Positive Sentiment: UnitedHealth beat Q2 estimates on earnings and revenue, driven by improved margins and lower medical costs, and raised its 2026 profit outlook. UnitedHealth shares surge on strong earnings beat and guidance
Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley, Oppenheimer, UBS, RBC, and other firms lifted price targets after the results, signaling stronger Street confidence in the stock’s recovery. Analyst price target updates
Positive Sentiment: Management doubled the 2026 share repurchase target to at least $5 billion, which may help support EPS and investor returns. What’s Fueling UNH Stock’s Rally? A Bigger Buyback, Higher Guidance – And CEO Says Turnaround Is ‘Returning To Form’
Neutral Sentiment: Commentary around the earnings call says Medicare Advantage and Optum are improving, but commercial cost pressures could delay a full margin recovery. UnitedHealth Q2 Earnings Call Focuses on Reset and Durable Growth
Negative Sentiment: Some analysts remain cautious, with at least one downgrade noting that the turnaround still faces execution risk despite the stronger quarter. UnitedHealth Group Q2: The Real Test Begins Now (Downgrade)

UnitedHealth Group Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

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.