Banco Santander S.A. Buys 11,697 Shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH

Banco Santander S.A. raised its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 18.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 75,843 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after purchasing an additional 11,697 shares during the quarter. Banco Santander S.A.’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $25,037,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Sarver Vrooman Wealth Advisors bought a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Beacon Financial Strategies CORP bought a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Anfield Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 220.0% during 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 in the last quarter. Joseph Group Capital Management bought a new stake in UnitedHealth Group during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Finally, Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC grew its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 69.4% during the third quarter. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC now owns 83 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. 87.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on UNH shares. HSBC raised UnitedHealth Group from a “reduce” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $300.00 target price for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. Raymond James Financial raised UnitedHealth Group from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $330.00 target price for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $340.00 to $373.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 20th. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $410.00 to $460.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, TD Cowen increased their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $311.00 to $337.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. One investment 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’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $407.17.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE UNH opened at $408.34 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $362.28 and a 200 day moving average of $326.85. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $370.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.64. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 12-month low of $234.60 and a 12-month high of $415.98.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The healthcare conglomerate reported $7.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.76 by $0.47. The company had revenue of $111.65 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $109.84 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 2.68% and a return on equity of 14.65%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $7.20 earnings per share. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 18.250- EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate 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. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be issued a dividend of $2.32 per share. This is an increase from UnitedHealth Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.21. This represents a $9.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. UnitedHealth Group’s payout ratio is presently 66.77%.

UnitedHealth Group News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: UNH saw unusual bullish options activity, with investors buying 215,330 call contracts on Friday — about 120% above normal volume — a sign traders are positioning for more upside.
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts continue to turn more constructive: Erste Group recently nudged up FY2027 earnings estimates and kept a Buy rating, adding to the recent wave of positive commentary around the shares.
• Positive Sentiment: The company confirmed it will report second-quarter 2026 results on July 16, which keeps a near-term catalyst on the calendar and may be supporting investor interest as expectations build.
• Positive Sentiment: UnitedHealth also approved its quarterly dividend of $2.32 per share and rejected an independent board chair proposal at its annual meeting, reinforcing its capital-return profile and management control.
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent articles highlight UNH’s rebound toward new highs and its renewed appeal as a defensive healthcare and income stock, but these pieces are largely commentary rather than new company-specific developments.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other UnitedHealth Group 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 transaction of $284,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 17,805 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,320,775. The trade was a 4.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.28% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

UnitedHealth Group 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.