Prudential PLC Raises Stake in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH

Prudential PLC grew its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 3.0% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 92,155 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,711 shares during the period. Prudential PLC’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $30,421,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Sarver Vrooman Wealth Advisors acquired a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Beacon Financial Strategies CORP acquired a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Anfield Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 220.0% during the 4th quarter. Anfield Capital Management LLC now owns 80 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Joseph Group Capital Management acquired a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Finally, Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 69.4% during the 3rd quarter. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC now owns 83 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting UnitedHealth Group

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

• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America upgraded UnitedHealth to Buy from Neutral and lifted its price target to $450, citing improving medical cost trends and a better risk/reward setup ahead of earnings. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley also raised its price target on UNH to $453 and kept an Overweight rating, reinforcing the view that the stock has room to recover. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: UnitedHealth raised its quarterly dividend by 5% to $2.32 per share, marking its 16th consecutive year of dividend increases and signaling confidence in cash flow despite a tough insurance backdrop. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple market reports noted that analysts are increasingly optimistic on managed-care names, pointing to softer medical cost and utilization trends that could support earnings recovery for UNH. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: The company also provided updates on its annual shareholder meeting and board actions, with shareholders re-electing directors and approving executive compensation; these items are routine and do not appear to be the main driver of trading. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Broader market headlines show weakness in tech stocks and mixed futures, but these macro moves appear to be secondary to the strong company-specific buying in UNH today. Article Title

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on UNH shares. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $444.00 to $492.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $278.00 to $287.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $395.00 to $453.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $370.00 to $397.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, HC Wainwright set a $492.00 target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have given a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, UnitedHealth Group presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $404.42.

Insider Activity at UnitedHealth Group

In other news, CEO Patrick Hugh Conway sold 800 shares of the company’s 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 represents a 4.30% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.28% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

UnitedHealth Group Trading Up 5.4%

Shares of UNH stock opened at $397.25 on Friday. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a twelve month low of $234.60 and a twelve month high of $404.15. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $345.52 and a 200 day moving average price of $323.05. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The company has a market capitalization of $360.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.00, a PEG ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 0.64.

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

UnitedHealth Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 23rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be paid a dividend of $2.32 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. This represents a $9.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. This is an increase from UnitedHealth Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.21. UnitedHealth Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 66.77%.

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.