Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC Raises Stock Position in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH

Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC grew its stake in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 2.3% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 111,352 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,468 shares during the quarter. UnitedHealth Group makes up 1.0% of Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 27th biggest position. Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $30,131,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Quadrant Private Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 5.5% in the 1st quarter. Quadrant Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,314 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $356,000 after buying an additional 68 shares during the last quarter. Kesler Norman & Wride LLC lifted its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 15.2% in the first quarter. Kesler Norman & Wride LLC now owns 6,104 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $1,652,000 after acquiring an additional 807 shares in the last quarter. Heartland Bank & Trust Co increased its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 272.1% during the first quarter. Heartland Bank & Trust Co now owns 3,647 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $987,000 after purchasing an additional 2,667 shares in the last quarter. Zhang Financial LLC purchased a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the 1st quarter valued at $841,000. Finally, Atlas Wealth LLC grew its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 307.0% during the first quarter. Atlas Wealth LLC now owns 4,518 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $1,223,000 after buying an additional 3,408 shares in the last quarter. 87.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. HSBC raised their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $300.00 to $380.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Robert W. Baird raised shares of UnitedHealth Group from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $287.00 to $453.00 in a research note on Thursday. HC Wainwright set a $492.00 price target on UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Finally, KeyCorp upped their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $400.00 to $475.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have given a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $447.29.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Up 0.7%

Shares of NYSE UNH opened at $426.39 on Friday. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 1 year low of $234.60 and a 1 year high of $461.62. The company has a market capitalization of $387.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.44, a P/E/G ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 0.62. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $404.81 and a 200-day simple moving average of $342.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.80.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 16th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.38 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.94 by $1.44. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 16.53% and a net margin of 3.14%.The company had revenue of $112.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $110.81 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $4.08 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .4% compared to the same quarter last year. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 19.500-20.000 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 19.75 earnings per share for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 23rd. Investors of record on Monday, June 15th were issued a $2.32 dividend. This is an increase from UnitedHealth Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.21. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 15th. This represents a $9.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. UnitedHealth Group’s payout ratio is presently 70.09%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other UnitedHealth Group news, CEO Patrick Hugh Conway sold 800 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $6,320,775. This trade represents a 4.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.28% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Key Stories Impacting UnitedHealth Group

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

• Positive Sentiment: UnitedHealth beat Q2 estimates on earnings and revenue, driven by improved margins and lower medical costs, and raised its 2026 profit outlook. UnitedHealth shares surge on strong earnings beat and guidance
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley, Oppenheimer, UBS, RBC, and other firms lifted price targets after the results, signaling stronger Street confidence in the stock’s recovery. Analyst price target updates
• Positive Sentiment: Management doubled the 2026 share repurchase target to at least $5 billion, which may help support EPS and investor returns. What’s Fueling UNH Stock’s Rally? A Bigger Buyback, Higher Guidance – And CEO Says Turnaround Is ‘Returning To Form’
• Neutral Sentiment: Commentary around the earnings call says Medicare Advantage and Optum are improving, but commercial cost pressures could delay a full margin recovery. UnitedHealth Q2 Earnings Call Focuses on Reset and Durable Growth
• Negative Sentiment: Some analysts remain cautious, with at least one downgrade noting that the turnaround still faces execution risk despite the stronger quarter. UnitedHealth Group Q2: The Real Test Begins Now (Downgrade)

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.