Plato Investment Management Ltd Purchases 4,863 Shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH

Plato Investment Management Ltd raised its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 26.6% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 23,178 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,863 shares during the period. Plato Investment Management Ltd’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $9,577,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Sarver Vrooman Wealth Advisors bought a new stake in UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Anfield Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 220.0% during the 4th quarter. Anfield Capital Management LLC now owns 80 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Joseph Group Capital Management purchased a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Nalls Sherbakoff Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Finally, Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. bought a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. 87.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting UnitedHealth Group

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts raised earnings forecasts. Zacks Research increased its estimates for Q1 2027 EPS to $7.12, Q2 2027 EPS to $6.35, fiscal 2027 EPS to $22.28 and fiscal 2028 EPS to $25.74. Zacks maintained a “Strong-Buy” rating, signaling expectations for continued earnings recovery. Zacks Research earnings estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Valuation and operating trends could support a recovery. A Zacks analysis said improving medical costs, higher earnings estimates and shareholder capital returns make UnitedHealth appear reasonably valued at approximately 18.39 times forward earnings, although regulatory risks remain. UnitedHealth valuation analysis
• Positive Sentiment: The dividend remains a support for income-focused investors. UnitedHealth authorized a dividend while facing governance litigation, reinforcing its capital-return appeal, though the payout does not remove the company’s broader legal risks. UnitedHealth dividend authorization

UnitedHealth Group Stock Down 1.5%

UNH stock opened at $388.03 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.78. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $414.75 and its 200-day simple moving average is $355.03. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 12 month low of $255.96 and a 12 month high of $461.62. The company has a market capitalization of $348.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 0.62.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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 company had revenue of $112.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $110.81 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $4.08 earnings per share. UnitedHealth Group’s quarterly revenue was up .4% on a year-over-year basis. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 19.500-20.000 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 19.69 earnings per share for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 22nd. Investors of record on Monday, September 14th will be paid a $2.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 14th. This represents a $9.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. UnitedHealth Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 59.72%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Robert W. Baird raised shares of UnitedHealth Group from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $287.00 to $453.00 in a report on Thursday, July 16th. HC Wainwright set a $492.00 target price on UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. Barclays boosted their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $429.00 to $441.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, July 20th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of UnitedHealth Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Finally, Mizuho raised their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $470.00 to $493.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, July 20th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have assigned a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, UnitedHealth Group currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $455.92.

Insider Activity at UnitedHealth Group

In related news, CEO Patrick Hugh Conway sold 500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $410.00, for a total value of $205,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 16,497 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,763,770. This represents a 2.94% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.19% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.