UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) Hits New 1-Year High After Analyst Upgrade

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)’s share price reached a new 52-week high on Thursday after Bank of America raised their price target on the stock from $450.00 to $475.00. Bank of America currently has a buy rating on the stock. UnitedHealth Group traded as high as $416.50 and last traded at $414.3790, with a volume of 1304341 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $405.80.

A number of other equities analysts also recently issued reports on the company. Barclays lifted their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $373.00 to $429.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 26th. Leerink Partners raised their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $400.00 to $462.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 17th. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $278.00 to $287.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $420.00 to $466.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, June 8th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $395.00 to $453.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have assigned a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, UnitedHealth Group has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $410.79.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other UnitedHealth Group news, CEO Patrick Hugh Conway sold 800 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 23rd. The stock was 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 directly owned 17,805 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,320,775. This represents a 4.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

More UnitedHealth Group News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America raised its price target on UnitedHealth Group to $475 from $450 and maintained a buy rating, signaling confidence in further upside from current levels.
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts expect UnitedHealth’s upcoming Q2 2026 results to show double-digit EPS growth, reinforcing the company’s reputation for steady earnings momentum.
• Positive Sentiment: Commentary from Jim Cramer and several value-focused articles highlighted UNH as a long-term buy, which may be helping sentiment around the stock.
• Positive Sentiment: Reports that UnitedHealth reached a proposed FTC settlement over insulin rebating practices could lower legal and regulatory uncertainty.
• Neutral Sentiment: Multiple media pieces framed UnitedHealth as a top healthcare or value stock, but these were largely opinion-driven and do not add new fundamental information.
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent “top healthcare stocks to watch” coverage and other market roundups may be adding visibility, though they are unlikely to materially change the investment thesis on their own.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On UnitedHealth Group

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Basecamp Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 4.7% during the first quarter. Basecamp Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,262 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $612,000 after buying an additional 101 shares during the period. Redwood Investment Management LLC bought a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the first quarter valued at $764,000. Sapient Capital LLC raised its position in UnitedHealth Group by 24.8% during the first quarter. Sapient Capital LLC now owns 3,091 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $836,000 after purchasing an additional 615 shares in the last quarter. Vilga Financial Planning LLC boosted its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 4.9% in the 1st quarter. Vilga Financial Planning LLC now owns 764 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $207,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FAS Wealth Partners Inc. raised its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 270.7% during the 1st quarter. FAS Wealth Partners Inc. now owns 11,283 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $3,053,000 after buying an additional 8,239 shares in the last quarter. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Performance

The firm has a market cap of $376.31 billion, a PE ratio of 31.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.64. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $379.62 and a 200-day simple moving average of $331.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.80.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The healthcare conglomerate reported $7.23 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $109.84 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $7.20 EPS. The firm’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. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 18.32 EPS for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 23rd. Investors of record on Monday, June 15th were paid a $2.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 15th. This is a positive change from UnitedHealth Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.21. This represents a $9.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. UnitedHealth Group’s payout ratio is currently 70.09%.

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.