Magellan Asset Management Ltd Sells 91,935 Shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH

Magellan Asset Management Ltd lowered its position in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 11.3% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 719,803 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after selling 91,935 shares during the period. UnitedHealth Group accounts for approximately 2.5% of Magellan Asset Management Ltd’s portfolio, making the stock its 12th largest position. Magellan Asset Management Ltd owned 0.08% of UnitedHealth Group worth $194,771,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 91,600,260 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $30,238,162,000 after acquiring an additional 995,210 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 45,232,170 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $14,931,592,000 after purchasing an additional 1,119,834 shares in the last quarter. Capital World Investors boosted its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 3.8% during the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 22,591,042 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $7,457,723,000 after buying an additional 824,120 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 3.7% in the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 18,829,054 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $6,215,660,000 after acquiring an additional 680,077 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capital International Investors boosted its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 6.6% during the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 18,655,111 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $6,158,734,000 after acquiring an additional 1,155,162 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.86% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting UnitedHealth Group

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

• Positive Sentiment: UnitedHealth was upgraded to Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), signaling improving earnings expectations and adding to bullish sentiment around the stock. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan raised its price target on UNH to $516 and reiterated an Overweight rating, reinforcing the view that the stock still has meaningful upside after its recent rally. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Several articles highlighted UnitedHealth’s strong Q2 performance, including better-than-expected earnings, raised guidance, and a larger share buyback authorization, all of which support the bullish case. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Reports framed UNH as a defensive healthcare leader benefiting from market rotation away from AI stocks, with analysts also calling it a strong momentum name and a stable dividend pick. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: The House passed a bill focused on provider accountability and fraud prevention in federal health programs; the article noted UNH could be affected by tighter oversight, but the near-term stock impact is unclear. Article Title

UnitedHealth Group Stock Up 3.5%

Shares of NYSE:UNH opened at $436.19 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $396.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.07, a PEG ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 0.62. The business’s 50 day moving average is $406.35 and its 200 day moving average is $343.75. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 12-month low of $234.60 and a 12-month high of $461.62. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 16th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.38 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 business had revenue of $112.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $110.81 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $4.08 EPS. The business’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, sell-side analysts forecast that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 19.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 23rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th were paid a $2.32 dividend. This is a positive change from UnitedHealth Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.21. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 15th. This represents a $9.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. UnitedHealth Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 59.72%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on UNH. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $463.00 to $478.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, July 17th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $468.00 to $529.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Bank of America reissued a “buy” rating on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Monday. KeyCorp increased their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $400.00 to $475.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein restated an “outperform” rating on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Tuesday. Two 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, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $455.92.

Insider Buying and Selling at UnitedHealth Group

In other news, CEO Patrick Hugh Conway sold 800 shares of the business’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 value of $284,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 17,805 shares in the company, valued at $6,320,775. The trade was a 4.30% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.19% of the stock is owned by insiders.

UnitedHealth Group Company 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.