Eagle Rock Investment Company LLC cut its stake in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH – Free Report) by 51.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,020 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after selling 6,440 shares during the quarter. Eagle Rock Investment Company LLC’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $2,210,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
A number of other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. BlackRock Inc. increased its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 4.6% during the second quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 76,863,061 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $31,946,594,000 after buying an additional 3,395,530 shares during the period. State Street Corp boosted its position in UnitedHealth Group by 0.7% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 45,633,267 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $18,966,555,000 after acquiring an additional 301,081 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE grew its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 21.8% during the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 11,713,684 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $3,169,606,000 after acquiring an additional 2,097,859 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 6.1% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 10,704,994 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $4,449,317,000 after acquiring an additional 616,723 shares during the period. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 5.8% in the 2nd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 10,675,175 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $4,436,923,000 after acquiring an additional 583,536 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.86% of the company’s stock.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
UNH has been the topic of several research reports. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $401.00 to $490.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Weiss Ratings upgraded UnitedHealth Group from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Thursday, October 8th. Piper Sandler raised their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $502.00 to $504.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 14th. Bank of America restated a “buy” rating and set a $450.00 target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Monday, July 20th. Finally, TD Cowen reaffirmed a “hold” rating and issued a $402.00 target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Thursday, October 15th. Twenty analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $463.57.
UnitedHealth Group Price Performance
UNH stock opened at $416.95 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a current ratio of 0.74. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $387.63 and a 200-day moving average price of $388.48. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 52-week low of $255.96 and a 52-week high of $461.62. The firm has a market capitalization of $374.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.81, a PEG ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 0.60.
UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 13th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $4.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.14 by $0.55. The firm had revenue of $112.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $111.31 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 17.95% and a net margin of 3.53%. UnitedHealth Group’s quarterly revenue was down .4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.59 EPS. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 20.500- EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 20.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.
UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement
The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 22nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 14th were issued a $2.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 14th. This represents a $9.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. UnitedHealth Group’s payout ratio is 53.00%.
Insider Activity
In related news, CEO Patrick Conway sold 1,169 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $390.00, for a total value of $455,910.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 15,328 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,977,920. This represents a 7.09% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.19% of the company’s stock.
Key Stories Impacting UnitedHealth Group
Here are the key news stories impacting UnitedHealth Group this week:
- Positive Sentiment: UnitedHealth’s third-quarter adjusted earnings per share increased approximately 61% year over year, while management raised its full-year earnings outlook. The 88.4% medical care ratio also indicates improved profitability, as the company retained more premium revenue after paying medical claims. UnitedHealth’s Earnings Jumped 60%. Is the Comeback Stock a Buy, Sell, or Hold?
- Positive Sentiment: Analyst sentiment remains broadly bullish, with the average brokerage recommendation equivalent to a Buy. Separate bullish commentary points to Optum’s recovery, improved contract quality at Optum Health, margin expansion and potential AI-related efficiency gains as drivers of double-digit earnings growth through 2028. UnitedHealth: Optum’s Recovery Supports My Strong Buy Rating
- Positive Sentiment: Technical-market commentary suggested UNH shares could extend their rally, reinforcing the view that the stock’s recovery trend remains intact after its recent rebound. Mapping the Market: UnitedHealth shares look ready to extend rally
- Neutral Sentiment: Optum generated roughly half of UnitedHealth’s reported second-quarter operating earnings, providing diversification from the insurance business. However, medical inflation and Medicare funding pressure affect both insurance and care-delivery operations, making the durability of future margins a key investment question. UnitedHealth: Does Optum Truly Diversify Its Earnings Risk?
- Negative Sentiment: Healthcare stocks weakened broadly late Wednesday, creating sector-level pressure on UNH despite its company-specific earnings improvement. Sector Update: Healthcare Stocks Softer Late Afternoon
- Negative Sentiment: Reports that older Americans face higher healthcare and prescription-drug costs, alongside insurers reducing some services, highlight affordability, utilization and political risks ahead of the midterm elections. Older Americans brace for higher healthcare costs ahead of midterms
UnitedHealth Group Company Profile
UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE: UNH) is a diversified health care company that provides health insurance coverage, health care services, pharmacy services and health technology. Its businesses serve individuals, employers, government programs, health care providers and other organizations, primarily in the United States.
The company operates through two principal businesses. UnitedHealthcare offers health benefit plans and related services for employers, individuals, families and government-sponsored programs, including Medicare and Medicaid.
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