UnitedHealth Group’s (UNH) Hold Rating Reiterated at TD Cowen

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH)‘s stock had its “hold” rating restated by stock analysts at TD Cowen in a report released on Thursday, Benzinga reports. They presently have a $402.00 target price on the healthcare conglomerate’s stock. TD Cowen’s price objective suggests a potential upside of 0.06% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other research firms also recently issued reports on UNH. Zacks Research downgraded shares of UnitedHealth Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, September 14th. Evercore upped their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $400.00 to $480.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Leerink Partners upped their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $462.00 to $472.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $468.00 to $529.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Finally, Piper Sandler upped their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $502.00 to $504.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Twenty analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $462.90.

UnitedHealth Group Price Performance

NYSE UNH traded down $4.90 on Thursday, hitting $401.77. 8,105,262 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,398,191. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $387.07 and a two-hundred day moving average of $384.64. The company has a market cap of $360.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.95, a P/E/G ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 0.60. The company has a current ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. UnitedHealth Group has a 1-year low of $255.96 and a 1-year high of $461.62.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last issued 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. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 3.53% and a return on equity of 17.95%. The business had revenue of $112.70 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $111.31 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.59 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down .4% on a year-over-year basis. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 20.500- EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that UnitedHealth Group will post 20.66 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Patrick Conway sold 1,169 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $390.00, for a total transaction of $455,910.00. Following the completion of the sale, 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 document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.19% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On UnitedHealth Group

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. BlackRock Inc. grew its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 4.6% during the 2nd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 76,863,061 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $31,946,594,000 after acquiring an additional 3,395,530 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 0.7% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 45,633,267 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $18,966,555,000 after acquiring an additional 301,081 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 6.1% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 10,704,994 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $4,449,317,000 after buying an additional 616,723 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its holdings 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 valued at $4,436,923,000 after buying an additional 583,536 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Corient Private Wealth LP boosted its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 1,443.7% in the 2nd quarter. Corient Private Wealth LP now owns 8,447,224 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $3,510,920,000 after buying an additional 7,900,011 shares during the last quarter. 87.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting UnitedHealth Group

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q3 results and guidance exceeded expectations. UnitedHealth reported adjusted earnings of $4.69 per share versus the $4.14 consensus estimate, while revenue of $112.7 billion also topped forecasts. Management raised its 2026 adjusted EPS outlook to at least $20.50, supporting the recovery narrative. UnitedHealth Stock Moves Higher: What’s Going On?
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support remains significant. JPMorgan raised its price target to $524 and maintained an “overweight” rating, while Goldman Sachs reportedly lifted its target to $506 after concluding that Medicare Advantage margin recovery is progressing faster than expected. JPMorgan Raises UnitedHealth Price Target
• Positive Sentiment: Potential growth areas could support 2027 and beyond. UnitedHealth’s focus on Medicare special-needs plans, expanded coverage and care-delivery operations may provide targeted growth while improving margins. Its low beta also makes UNH attractive as a defensive healthcare holding during inflation and market rotation away from technology stocks. Can UNH’s Focus on Special Needs Plans Strengthen Medicare Growth?
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent gains may have already priced in much of the good news. Commentary noted that the earnings beat and outlook increase were followed by questions about how durable the recovery will be, limiting the immediate upside despite bullish targets. UnitedHealth Beats on Earnings, But Investors Question Growth Path
• Negative Sentiment: Membership fell and medical costs remain high. Analysts are concerned that shrinking membership and elevated utilization could constrain revenue growth and margins, particularly if higher care costs persist. This is the main reason investors are questioning whether the earnings improvement can continue. UnitedHealth’s Q3 Margins Improve, But Membership Falls
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst views are mixed. Barclays issued a pessimistic forecast, Robert W. Baird cut its price target, and TD Cowen reiterated a “hold” rating with a $402 target, signaling limited near-term upside for some investors.

About UnitedHealth Group

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE: UNH) is a diversified health care and well-being company serving individuals, employers, health care providers and government programs. Its operations are organized primarily through UnitedHealthcare and Optum.

UnitedHealthcare provides health benefit plans and services, including employer-sponsored coverage, individual and family plans, Medicare and Medicaid offerings, and other government-supported programs. Its services include health insurance administration, pharmacy benefits and care management.

Optum provides health care services, technology and data solutions, pharmacy services, and analytics to health plans, employers, government agencies, health care providers and consumers.