UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH Shares Bought by Meeder Advisory Services Inc.

Meeder Advisory Services Inc. lifted its holdings in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 15.4% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 18,597 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,484 shares during the period. Meeder Advisory Services Inc.’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $7,729,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the fourth quarter valued at $4,376,167,000. BlackRock Inc. grew its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 4.6% in the 2nd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 76,863,061 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $31,946,594,000 after acquiring an additional 3,395,530 shares during the last quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 141.9% during the fourth quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,109,029 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $1,356,432,000 after purchasing an additional 2,410,128 shares during the last quarter. Cardano Risk Management B.V. increased its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 864.4% in the 4th quarter. Cardano Risk Management B.V. now owns 2,523,700 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $833,099,000 after purchasing an additional 2,262,006 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE raised its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 21.8% during the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 11,713,684 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $3,169,606,000 after buying an additional 2,097,859 shares during the period. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have weighed in on UNH. Mizuho lifted their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $470.00 to $493.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, July 20th. 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 report on Monday, July 6th. Bank of America reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Monday, July 20th. Leerink Partners boosted their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $400.00 to $462.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 17th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have given a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $455.92.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Up 1.6%

UnitedHealth Group stock opened at $390.94 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $350.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.16, a P/E/G ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 0.62. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $413.99 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $355.96. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $255.96 and a fifty-two week high of $461.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.78.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 16th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.38 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.94 by $1.44. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 16.53% and a net margin of 3.14%.The business had revenue of $112.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $110.81 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $4.08 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .4% on a year-over-year basis. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 19.500-20.000 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 19.69 earnings per share for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 22nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 14th will be issued a dividend of $2.32 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 14th. This represents a $9.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. UnitedHealth Group’s payout ratio is presently 59.72%.

Insider Activity at UnitedHealth Group

In related news, CEO Patrick Hugh Conway sold 500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $410.00, for a total value of $205,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 16,497 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,763,770. This trade represents a 2.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.19% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting UnitedHealth Group

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

• Positive Sentiment: UnitedHealth is reportedly prioritizing Medicare Advantage profitability over rapid membership growth by tightening benefits, improving pricing and controlling costs. The strategy could support stronger margins and more sustainable earnings, even if enrollment growth moderates. Is UnitedHealth Finding a Better Path to Medicare Advantage Growth?
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research added UNH to its Rank #1, or “Strong Buy,” lists for overall stocks, value stocks and income stocks. The repeated favorable rankings may reinforce investor confidence in the shares. New Strong Buy Stocks for August 21st
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts raised several forward EPS estimates, including Q1 2028 to $7.36 from $6.78 and Q2 2028 to $7.19 from $5.84. A separate report also noted an increase in the Q1 EPS estimate, while Zacks maintained a Strong Buy rating. Q1 EPS Estimate for UnitedHealth Group Increased by Analyst
• Neutral Sentiment: Forecast revisions were mixed: Q3 2027 EPS was reduced to $4.74 from $4.81 and Q4 2027 to $4.07 from $4.12, partially offsetting the increases for 2028.
• Negative Sentiment: Aon expects U.S. employer health-care costs to rise 9.5% in 2027. Persistent medical-cost inflation could pressure insurers’ margins and increase pricing, benefit and utilization-management challenges for UnitedHealth. AON Sees No Relief From Health-Cost Inflation

UnitedHealth Group 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.