Stephens Inc. AR Purchases 9,617 Shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH

Stephens Inc. AR increased its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 30.2% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 41,418 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after acquiring an additional 9,617 shares during the period. Stephens Inc. AR’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $13,705,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of UNH. Beacon Financial Strategies CORP bought a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Anfield Capital Management LLC increased its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 220.0% during the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Joseph Group Capital Management acquired a new position in UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC increased its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 69.4% during the 3rd quarter. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC now owns 83 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. Finally, 1248 Management LLC acquired a new position in UnitedHealth Group during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Institutional investors own 87.86% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about UnitedHealth Group

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

• Positive Sentiment: Erste Group Bank slightly raised its earnings estimates for UnitedHealth and kept a Buy rating, reinforcing the view that the company’s profit outlook remains solid. MarketBeat UNH report
• Positive Sentiment: Recent commentary remains upbeat after UnitedHealth’s strong first-quarter results, with analysts and market watchers pointing to a substantial rebound since March lows and improved investor confidence in the stock’s longer-term earnings power. Seeking Alpha article
• Neutral Sentiment: The broader market tone was positive, with major indexes closing higher and hitting new highs, which may have helped sentiment across large-cap healthcare stocks.
• Negative Sentiment: Berkshire Hathaway disclosed that it sold several smaller holdings, including UnitedHealth, which may raise concerns that a high-profile investor is reducing exposure to the stock. Reuters article

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have issued reports on UNH. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of UnitedHealth Group from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Raymond James Financial raised shares of UnitedHealth Group from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $330.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. Mizuho dropped their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $430.00 to $350.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Argus raised shares of UnitedHealth Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $400.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, Barclays upped their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $327.00 to $373.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have given a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, UnitedHealth Group has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $378.88.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Performance

UNH opened at $393.65 on Friday. 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 company has a market cap of $357.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.73, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.64. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 52-week low of $234.60 and a 52-week high of $404.15. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $316.82 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $318.53.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 21st. The healthcare conglomerate reported $7.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.76 by $0.47. The business had revenue of $111.65 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $109.84 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 2.68% and a return on equity of 14.65%. The company’s revenue was up 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $7.20 earnings per share. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 18.250- EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 18.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 17th. Stockholders 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 2.2%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 9th. UnitedHealth Group’s dividend payout ratio is 66.77%.

Insider Activity at UnitedHealth Group

In other 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 value of $284,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 17,805 shares in the company, valued at $6,320,775. This represents a 4.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.28% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.