Erste Group Bank Has Positive Outlook of UNH FY2026 Earnings

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) – Erste Group Bank boosted their FY2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for UnitedHealth Group in a research note issued on Tuesday, May 12th. Erste Group Bank analyst H. Engel now forecasts that the healthcare conglomerate will post earnings of $18.30 per share for the year, up from their prior estimate of $18.28. Erste Group Bank currently has a “Buy” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for UnitedHealth Group’s current full-year earnings is $18.29 per share. Erste Group Bank also issued estimates for UnitedHealth Group’s FY2027 earnings at $20.70 EPS.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 21st. The healthcare conglomerate reported $7.23 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.76 by $0.47. The business had revenue of $111.65 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $109.84 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 14.65% and a net margin of 2.68%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $7.20 earnings per share. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 18.250- EPS.

A number of other brokerages also recently issued reports on UNH. Weiss Ratings raised UnitedHealth Group from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $375.00 to $395.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $361.00 to $400.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Barclays boosted their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $327.00 to $373.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, Raymond James Financial upgraded UnitedHealth Group from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $330.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have given a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $378.88.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Performance

Shares of UNH opened at $398.84 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $314.78 and a 200 day moving average price of $318.01. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The company has a market capitalization of $362.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 0.64. UnitedHealth Group has a 52-week low of $234.60 and a 52-week high of $404.15.

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 9th were given a $2.21 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 9th. This represents a $8.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. UnitedHealth Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 66.77%.

Insider Transactions at UnitedHealth Group

In other UnitedHealth Group news, CEO Patrick Hugh Conway sold 800 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 17,805 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,320,775. This represents a 4.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of UnitedHealth Group

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of UNH. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 176.2% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 44,249 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $22,384,000 after acquiring an additional 28,231 shares during the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 137.1% during the fourth quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 4,019 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $2,033,000 after acquiring an additional 2,324 shares during the last quarter. CMT Capital Markets Trading GmbH acquired a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the second quarter valued at $340,000. Flow Traders U.S. LLC acquired a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the second quarter valued at $356,000. Finally, Jump Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the second quarter valued at $377,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.86% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting UnitedHealth Group

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

• Positive Sentiment: Recent coverage remains constructive after UNH’s strong first-quarter results, with revenue of about $111.7 billion and EPS of $7.23, which beat estimates and led management to raise full-year EPS guidance above $18.25. Analysts also highlighted a planned Q2 buyback of more than $2 billion and said the company’s integrated healthcare model still supports a premium valuation. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: UNH has been attracting momentum-focused attention, with multiple reports calling it a strong momentum stock and noting heavy investor searches, which can reinforce buying interest. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: The stock recently hit a new 52-week high, reflecting strong investor confidence after its post-earnings rebound and signaling continued bullish sentiment. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader market gains, including a strong Dow rally and new highs in the S&P 500 and Nasdaq, likely provided a supportive backdrop for UNH, though this was not specific to the company. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Some commentary cautioned that regulatory and legal risks remain, including DOJ antitrust scrutiny and possible PBM rule changes, which could pressure sentiment if investors focus on future margin and business-model risk. Article Title

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.