UnitedHealth Group Sees Unusually High Options Volume (NYSE:UNH)

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) was the target of unusually large options trading on Thursday. Stock investors purchased 376,697 put options on the company. This is an increase of approximately 131% compared to the typical daily volume of 163,128 put options.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently commented on UNH. Evercore ISI upgraded UnitedHealth Group to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Tuesday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded UnitedHealth Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $333.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $310.00 to $425.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 9th. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of UnitedHealth Group from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, October 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $380.67.

UnitedHealth Group Trading Down 0.6%

Shares of NYSE UNH traded down $1.82 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $292.20. The stock had a trading volume of 13,431,647 shares, compared to its average volume of 11,603,481. UnitedHealth Group has a twelve month low of $234.60 and a twelve month high of $606.36. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $331.78 and its 200 day moving average price is $323.60. The firm has a market cap of $264.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 0.79.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $2.11 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.09 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $113.22 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $113.38 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 14.79% and a net margin of 2.69%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $6.81 earnings per share. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.750- EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that UnitedHealth Group will post 29.54 EPS for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 8th were paid a $2.21 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 8th. This represents a $8.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.0%. UnitedHealth Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 67.02%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On UnitedHealth Group

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA bought a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the second quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Beacon Financial Strategies CORP purchased a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Sagard Holdings Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the second quarter worth $29,000. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC grew its position 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. Finally, 1248 Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. 87.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

UnitedHealth Group News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Market and analyst support — Several firms kept buy/overweight ratings or reiterated long-term confidence after the Q4 release, arguing the sell-off may be overdone and highlighting UnitedHealth’s underlying margin initiatives and long-term fundamentals. UnitedHealth Q4 Earnings Review: The Selloff Looks Overdone After Results
• Positive Sentiment: Short-term rebound in ETFs — Healthcare ETFs and related funds moved as UNH bounced (~4% at one point) on a mixed Q4 print plus commentary that 2026 cost trends could improve, which likely supported intraday buying from funds and momentum traders. Healthcare ETFs in Focus as UnitedHealth Rises 4% Post Mixed Q4 Results
• Neutral Sentiment: Modest analyst target tweaks — Morgan Stanley trimmed its price target slightly to $409 but kept an Overweight rating, signaling stabilized expectations rather than a wholesale shift in conviction. This is a modest signal versus outright downgrades. UnitedHealth (UNH) Sees Modest Target Cut at Morgan Stanley as Outlook Stabilizes
• Negative Sentiment: Large put-option activity — Unusually high put buying (376,697 contracts, +131% vs. typical volume) indicates elevated downside hedging or speculative bearish positioning, increasing near-term downside pressure on the stock.
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst price-target cuts — Multiple firms reduced targets (examples: Jefferies to $340, Leerink to $345, Oppenheimer to $385, RBC to $361, UBS trimmed targets), which amplifies pessimism around near-term earnings/guidance and contributes to downward momentum.
• Negative Sentiment: Guidance & Medicare payment shock — The main catalyst for the rout was a cautious FY2026 outlook and disappointing Medicare Advantage payment updates; investors marked the company down sharply on lower-than-expected forward cash/earnings visibility. UnitedHealth (UNH) Loses 19.6% on Weak Outlook, Medicare Payment Update
• Negative Sentiment: Political stock sales & market-cap hit — Reports of politicians selling UNH before the crash and headlines about a $50–99 billion market-cap loss have heightened scrutiny and negative sentiment, which can prolong volatility. These 3 U.S. politicians suspiciously dumped UnitedHealth stock weeks before crash
• Negative Sentiment: Bearish commentary and “trap” warnings — Multiple op-eds and analyst notes argue the recovery may take time or that buying the dip could be a trap; that negative narrative is pressuring demand for the stock in the near term. UnitedHealth: Buying The Dip Could Be A Trap

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.