UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) Trading 1.4% Higher – Here’s What Happened

Shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) shot up 1.4% during trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $347.90 and last traded at $346.5680. 4,930,802 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 33% from the average session volume of 7,329,077 shares. The stock had previously closed at $341.70.

UnitedHealth Group News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Evercore analysts upgraded UnitedHealth to a “strong-buy,” signaling confidence in 2026 growth and supporting near-term upside for the stock. Evercore Analysts Love UnitedHealth Stock for 2026. Should You Buy UNH Here?
• Positive Sentiment: Bernstein raised its price target to $444 (from $440) and kept an Outperform rating, which supports higher valuation expectations for UNH. Bernstein Lifts PT on UnitedHealth Group (UNH) to $444 From $440
• Positive Sentiment: Barclays bumped its target to $391 and kept an Overweight rating, citing managed-care margin recovery that could lift UNH in 2026. UnitedHealth (UNH) Poised to Benefit as Investor Focus Shifts Away From AI, Says Barclays
• Positive Sentiment: Evercore ISI’s upgrade earlier in the week drove a short-term bounce (shares were reported up ~2% on the call), reinforcing analyst conviction that could attract flow into UNH. Zacks / Evercore ISI upgrade reporting
• Neutral Sentiment: The healthcare sector’s rebound and ETF inflows (e.g., Vanguard Health Care ETF) are creating a supportive backdrop for UNH as investors rotate into under-owned healthcare names. This ETF Is Proof That the Healthcare Rebound Is Real
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage pieces note rising analyst confidence is changing UNH’s investment story—more upgrades and target lifts can reduce short-term volatility but also price in expectations. How Rising Analyst Confidence At UnitedHealth Group (UNH) Has Changed Its Investment Story
• Negative Sentiment: An explanatory piece outlines factors that have recently hit UnitedHealth’s performance (operational or market pressures referenced), which helps explain why shares are softer despite bullish analyst action. Here’s What Hit UnitedHealth Group’s (UNH) Performance

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UNH has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Zacks Research raised shares of UnitedHealth Group from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, October 6th. KeyCorp boosted their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $350.00 to $400.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Piper Sandler lowered their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $423.00 to $417.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, October 28th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $378.00 to $430.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of UnitedHealth Group from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Friday, October 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $385.75.

UnitedHealth Group Trading Down 0.9%

The firm has a market capitalization of $311.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.95, a PEG ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 0.42. The business has a 50 day moving average of $329.51 and a 200 day moving average of $321.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.82.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 28th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $2.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.87 by $0.05. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 4.04% and a return on equity of 19.23%. The company had revenue of $113.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $113.19 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $7.15 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 12.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 8th were paid a $2.21 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 8th. This represents a $8.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.6%. UnitedHealth Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 46.14%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. North Capital Inc. raised its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 16.2% in the third quarter. North Capital Inc. now owns 194 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $67,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares in the last quarter. Sunflower Bank N.A. grew its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. Sunflower Bank N.A. now owns 1,916 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $662,000 after buying an additional 28 shares during the last quarter. Axis Wealth Partners LLC raised its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 1.7% during the third quarter. Axis Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,631 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $563,000 after buying an additional 28 shares during the last quarter. Abound Wealth Management increased its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 13.5% in the 3rd quarter. Abound Wealth Management now owns 244 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $84,000 after acquiring an additional 29 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cooper Financial Group raised its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Cooper Financial Group now owns 4,338 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $1,432,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 87.86% of the company’s stock.

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.