UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH Shares Purchased by Hennessy Advisors Inc.

Hennessy Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 385.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 6,800 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after buying an additional 5,400 shares during the quarter. Hennessy Advisors Inc.’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $2,245,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UNH. Brighton Jones LLC grew its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 176.2% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 44,249 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $22,384,000 after buying an additional 28,231 shares during the period. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC grew its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 137.1% in the 4th quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 4,019 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $2,033,000 after buying an additional 2,324 shares during the period. CMT Capital Markets Trading GmbH purchased a new stake in UnitedHealth Group in the 2nd quarter valued at about $340,000. Flow Traders U.S. LLC acquired a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the 2nd quarter valued at about $356,000. Finally, Jump Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the 2nd quarter valued at about $377,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.86% of the company’s stock.

UnitedHealth Group News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Jefferies raised its price target to $373 and kept a Buy rating, signaling greater upside from a turnaround in margins and supporting investor confidence. Jefferies Raises UNH Price Target
• Positive Sentiment: UnitedHealthcare announced it will eliminate most prior authorizations for rural providers and accelerate payments to many rural hospitals — a move that should reduce provider friction, improve access, and generate positive PR and potential cost efficiencies. UnitedHealthcare Eliminates Most Medical Prior Authorizations (Business Wire)
• Positive Sentiment: Forbes coverage of the prior-authorization change highlights expanded access in rural America — reinforcing the operational narrative that management is simplifying care and lowering administrative drag. UnitedHealthcare Reducing Need For Prior Approvals (Forbes)
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst and media bullishness (Seeking Alpha preview / social chatter) frame UNH as a turnaround play if Optum restructuring and CMS rate clarity translate into margin recovery — supporting longer-term upside. UnitedHealth Q1 Earnings Preview (Seeking Alpha)
• Positive Sentiment: Jim Cramer publicly expects strong results, which can boost short-term investor sentiment and trading interest ahead of the report. Jim Cramer Expects Strong Earnings (InsiderMonkey)
• Neutral Sentiment: General market context and catalysts for the day (macro headlines and earnings calendar) may influence UNH alongside sector moves rather than company-specific news. 5 Things to Know Before the Market Opens (Investopedia)
• Neutral Sentiment: Pre-earnings previews outline key Q1 items to watch (revenue, Optum margins, membership trends); these set expectations but are not yet definitive. What To Expect From UNH Q1 (Yahoo)
• Negative Sentiment: Yahoo reports UnitedHealth could face roughly a $6 billion Medicare hit tied to payment changes — a material near-term profit headwind that amplifies investor concern about Optum margins. UnitedHealth Faces $6 Billion Medicare Hit (Yahoo)
• Negative Sentiment: Some analyst models (Benzinga recap) expect lower Q1 earnings, increasing the risk of an earnings miss that could trigger a near-term sell-off if guidance disappoints. UNH Likely To Report Lower Q1 Earnings (Benzinga)

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UNH has been the topic of several research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $425.00 to $389.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $340.00 to $373.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday. Oppenheimer reduced their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $415.00 to $385.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $405.00 to $411.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. Finally, Evercore raised UnitedHealth Group to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have given a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $364.79.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Performance

UnitedHealth Group stock opened at $323.44 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $287.80 and its 200 day moving average price is $316.94. The firm has a market capitalization of $293.58 billion, a PE ratio of 24.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 0.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 0.79. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a one year low of $234.60 and a one year high of $453.50.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The healthcare conglomerate reported $7.23 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.76 by $0.47. The firm had revenue of $111.65 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $109.84 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 14.79% and a net margin of 2.69%.UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 18.250- EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 17.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 9th were given a $2.21 dividend. This represents a $8.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 9th. UnitedHealth Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 67.02%.

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.