UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH Stock Position Raised by S&CO Inc.

Posted by Chris Copeland on Jul 19th, 2026

S&CO Inc. boosted its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH – Free Report) by 8.3% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 44,072 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,385 shares during the period. S&CO Inc.’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $11,925,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of UNH. Sarver Vrooman Wealth Advisors acquired a new position in UnitedHealth Group during the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Beacon Financial Strategies CORP purchased a new position in UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Anfield Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Joseph Group Capital Management acquired a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Finally, Nalls Sherbakoff Group LLC acquired a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.86% of the company’s stock.

UnitedHealth Group Trading Up 0.7%

UnitedHealth Group stock opened at $426.39 on Friday. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a one year low of $234.60 and a one year high of $461.62. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $404.81 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $342.28. The company has a market capitalization of $387.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.44, a PEG ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.80.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly 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. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 16.53% and a net margin of 3.14%.The company had revenue of $112.03 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $110.81 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $4.08 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up .4% on a year-over-year basis. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 19.500-20.000 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 18.77 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 23rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th were given a $2.32 dividend. This is a positive change 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%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 15th. UnitedHealth Group’s payout ratio is 70.09%.

More UnitedHealth Group News

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)

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently commented on UNH shares. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $460.00 to $490.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $340.00 to $373.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, April 20th. TD Cowen upped their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $337.00 to $430.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Thursday, June 11th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded UnitedHealth Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have issued a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $447.29.

Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on UnitedHealth Group

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Patrick Hugh Conway sold 800 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

About UnitedHealth Group

(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.