J. Derek Lewis & Associates Inc. Makes New $508,000 Investment in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH

J. Derek Lewis & Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund acquired 1,539 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock, valued at approximately $508,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 91,600,260 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $30,238,162,000 after buying an additional 995,210 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its position in UnitedHealth Group by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 45,232,170 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $14,931,592,000 after acquiring an additional 1,119,834 shares during the period. Capital World Investors raised its position in UnitedHealth Group by 3.8% in the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 22,591,042 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $7,457,723,000 after purchasing an additional 824,120 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 3.7% in the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 18,829,054 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $6,215,660,000 after purchasing an additional 680,077 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Capital International Investors raised its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 6.6% in the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 18,655,111 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $6,158,734,000 after buying an additional 1,155,162 shares during the period. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other UnitedHealth Group news, CEO Patrick Hugh Conway sold 800 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $355.00, for a total transaction of $284,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 17,805 shares in the company, valued at $6,320,775. The trade was a 4.30% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.28% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Performance

Shares of UNH stock opened at $400.86 on Friday. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 52 week low of $234.60 and a 52 week high of $415.98. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $373.69 and a two-hundred day moving average of $329.55. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $364.04 billion, a PE ratio of 30.28, a P/E/G ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 0.64.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 21st. The healthcare conglomerate reported $7.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.76 by $0.47. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 14.65% and a net margin of 2.68%.The business had revenue of $111.65 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $109.84 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $7.20 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 18.250- EPS. On average, research analysts predict that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 18.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 23rd. Investors of record on Monday, June 15th will be paid a dividend of $2.32 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 15th. This is a positive change from UnitedHealth Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.21. This represents a $9.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. UnitedHealth Group’s payout ratio is currently 70.09%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on UNH shares. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $444.00 to $492.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $278.00 to $287.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $420.00 to $466.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, June 8th. Leerink Partners lifted their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $400.00 to $462.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, UBS Group increased their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $410.00 to $460.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have given a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $409.75.

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.