UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) have received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-seven brokerages that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, nineteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $387.5652.

Several brokerages recently issued reports on UNH. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of 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 lifted 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. Leerink Partners increased their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $345.00 to $400.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. HSBC raised UnitedHealth Group from a “reduce” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $300.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. Finally, Truist Financial reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $395.00 target price (up from $370.00) on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd.

Insider Activity at UnitedHealth Group

In other news, CEO Patrick Hugh Conway sold 800 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $355.00, for a total transaction of $284,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 17,805 shares in the company, valued at $6,320,775. This represents a 4.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.28% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Sarver Vrooman Wealth Advisors purchased a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Beacon Financial Strategies CORP acquired a new position in UnitedHealth Group during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Anfield Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 220.0% in the fourth quarter. Anfield Capital Management LLC now owns 80 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the period. Joseph Group Capital Management acquired a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Finally, Nalls Sherbakoff Group LLC purchased a new stake in UnitedHealth Group during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. 87.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Up 1.6%

Shares of NYSE UNH opened at $388.42 on Friday. UnitedHealth Group has a 12-month low of $234.60 and a 12-month high of $404.15. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The company has a 50-day moving average of $326.93 and a 200 day moving average of $319.63. The stock has a market cap of $352.74 billion, a PE ratio of 29.34, a P/E/G ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.64.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The healthcare conglomerate reported $7.23 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.76 by $0.47. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 2.68% and a return on equity of 14.65%. The firm had revenue of $111.65 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $109.84 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $7.20 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 18.250- EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that UnitedHealth Group will post 18.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 9th were paid a $2.21 dividend. This represents a $8.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 9th. UnitedHealth Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 66.77%.

Key UnitedHealth Group News

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

• Positive Sentiment: UBS raised its price target on UnitedHealth Group to $460 from $410 and reiterated a Buy rating, signaling meaningful upside from current levels. Benzinga report on UBS target increase
• Positive Sentiment: UnitedHealth was highlighted by multiple outlets as a high-quality stock and a turnaround bet, with commentary noting that managed care is outgrowing the broader economy and that the company is benefiting from AI adoption in operations. Motley Fool article on AI and turnaround
• Neutral Sentiment: UnitedHealth also appeared in a hedge-fund “high quality stocks” list and a Goldman Sachs conviction-list discussion, which supports the stock’s investment case but does not change fundamentals on its own. InsiderMonkey article on turnaround case
• Negative Sentiment: There is still headline risk around Medicare Advantage overpayments, with a Congressional committee estimating about $7 billion annually in excess payments to private insurers, which could keep regulatory scrutiny on managed-care names like UNH. 247WallSt article on Medicare Advantage overpayments
• Negative Sentiment: Recent discussion also noted that Berkshire-linked selling contributed to a prior stock slide, underscoring that investor sentiment can still turn quickly. Barchart article on Berkshire stake sale

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.