What is Erste Group Bank’s Forecast for UNH FY2026 Earnings?

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) – Stock analysts at Erste Group Bank upped their FY2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for UnitedHealth Group in a research report issued on Wednesday, July 15th. Erste Group Bank analyst H. Engel now expects that the healthcare conglomerate will post earnings of $18.33 per share for the year, up from their previous estimate of $18.30. Erste Group Bank currently has a “Buy” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for UnitedHealth Group’s current full-year earnings is $18.77 per share. Erste Group Bank also issued estimates for UnitedHealth Group’s FY2027 earnings at $20.87 EPS.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on the company. Zacks Research upgraded UnitedHealth Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. HSBC raised their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $300.00 to $380.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, July 6th. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Mizuho upped their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $440.00 to $460.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, June 8th. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised shares of UnitedHealth Group from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $287.00 to $453.00 in a research note on Thursday. Two 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $447.29.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Performance

NYSE UNH opened at $426.39 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $387.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.44, a P/E/G ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 0.78. UnitedHealth Group has a 52-week low of $234.60 and a 52-week high of $461.62. The company has a fifty day moving average of $404.81 and a 200-day moving average of $342.28.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 16th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.38 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.94 by $1.44. The business had revenue of $112.03 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $110.81 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 3.14% and a return on equity of 16.53%. UnitedHealth Group’s quarterly revenue was up .4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $4.08 earnings per share. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 19.500-20.000 EPS.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On UnitedHealth Group

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Sarver Vrooman Wealth Advisors bought a new stake in UnitedHealth Group in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Beacon Financial Strategies CORP bought a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Anfield Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 220.0% in the fourth quarter. Anfield Capital Management LLC now owns 80 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the period. Joseph Group Capital Management purchased a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Finally, Nalls Sherbakoff Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.86% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Patrick Hugh Conway sold 800 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $355.00, for a total transaction of $284,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 17,805 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,320,775. This represents a 4.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

UnitedHealth Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 23rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th were given a dividend of $2.32 per share. This represents a $9.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. 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. UnitedHealth Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 70.09%.

UnitedHealth Group News Roundup

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)

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.