Analysts Set UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) Target Price at $455.92

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) has earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-seven ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12-month price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $456.56.

A number of research firms recently commented on UNH. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $463.00 to $478.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of UnitedHealth Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 8th. Zacks Research upgraded UnitedHealth Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $466.00 to $516.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Thursday, June 11th.

UnitedHealth Group Price Performance

Shares of UNH opened at $393.99 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. UnitedHealth Group has a twelve month low of $255.96 and a twelve month high of $461.62. The firm has a market capitalization of $353.64 billion, a PE ratio of 25.35, a P/E/G ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 0.62. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $413.28 and its two-hundred day moving average is $360.11.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 16th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.94 by $1.44. The company had revenue of $112.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $110.81 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 3.14% and a return on equity of 16.53%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up .4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $4.08 earnings per share. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 19.500-20.000 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that UnitedHealth Group will post 19.82 earnings per share for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

The company 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 dividend of $2.32 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 14th. This represents a $9.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. UnitedHealth Group’s payout ratio is 59.72%.

Insider Activity at UnitedHealth Group

In related news, CEO Patrick Hugh Conway sold 1,169 shares of UnitedHealth Group stock in a transaction on Friday, August 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $390.00, for a total value of $455,910.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 15,328 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,977,920. The trade was a 7.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.19% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of UnitedHealth Group

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. California State Teachers Retirement System grew its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 41,749.2% during the second quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 567,446,754 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $235,847,894,000 after acquiring an additional 566,090,823 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $4,376,167,000. Corient Private Wealth LP acquired a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the second quarter valued at $245,516,000. Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new position in UnitedHealth Group during the 2nd quarter valued at about $2,444,928,000. Finally, Jupiter Topco LLC acquired a new stake in UnitedHealth Group in the second quarter worth approximately $2,019,844,000. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.