UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH Shares Sold by Principal Financial Group Inc.

Principal Financial Group Inc. decreased its stake in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 0.8% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,359,317 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after selling 11,597 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $367,818,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Sarver Vrooman Wealth Advisors bought a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Beacon Financial Strategies CORP acquired a new position in UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Anfield Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 55 shares during the period. Joseph Group Capital Management bought a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Finally, Nalls Sherbakoff Group LLC acquired a new stake in UnitedHealth Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

More UnitedHealth Group News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo raised its price target on UnitedHealth Group to $485 from $397 and kept an overweight rating, signaling confidence in further upside as the insurer’s recovery story gains traction. Benzinga report on Wells Fargo target increase
• Positive Sentiment: Several recent articles highlight UnitedHealth’s rally, stronger technical setup, and expectations that management has been improving medical cost control and execution, which has kept investors focused on the company’s long-term growth path. Invezz article on UNH chart and rally
• Positive Sentiment: Market commentary notes that the Trump administration’s higher-than-expected Medicare Advantage payment boost has also helped support the bullish case for managed-care stocks like UNH. Forbes article on insurer rebound
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors are waiting for second-quarter results to see whether UnitedHealth can maintain membership growth, manage rising medical costs, and meet earnings expectations after a period of volatility. Zacks article on Q2 earnings estimates
• Neutral Sentiment: There is also some debate around preventive-care coverage trends and whether expanded coverage for Guardant’s Shield test could alter UNH’s care narrative, though the direct stock impact is uncertain. Yahoo Finance article on Guardant Shield coverage
• Negative Sentiment: Some analysts and market watchers are warning that UNH’s sharp run-up could leave the stock vulnerable if earnings disappoint or if chart-based momentum fades after results. Kalkine article on UNH turning the corner

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. HSBC raised their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $300.00 to $380.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, July 6th. Leerink Partners increased their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $400.00 to $462.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 17th. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an “outperform” rating on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $373.00 to $429.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 26th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $420.00 to $466.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, June 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have assigned a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $421.04.

Insider Activity at UnitedHealth Group

In other news, CEO Patrick Hugh Conway sold 800 shares of UnitedHealth Group stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the chief executive officer owned 17,805 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,320,775. The trade was a 4.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.28% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

UnitedHealth Group Trading Up 1.1%

NYSE:UNH opened at $429.34 on Tuesday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $400.56 and a 200 day simple moving average of $339.71. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $389.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 0.62. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 1-year low of $234.60 and a 1-year high of $434.30.

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

UnitedHealth Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 23rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th were paid a dividend of $2.32 per share. This is an increase from UnitedHealth Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.21. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 15th. This represents a $9.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. UnitedHealth Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 70.09%.

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.