Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. Sells 2,351 Shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH

Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. reduced its stake in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 9.6% during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 22,200 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after selling 2,351 shares during the period. Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $9,227,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan grew its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 2.3% in the second quarter. Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan now owns 120,615 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $50,131,000 after purchasing an additional 2,678 shares in the last quarter. Campbell Newman Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the 2nd quarter worth $45,411,000. Field & Main Bank purchased a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the second quarter valued at $3,926,000. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 5.8% in the second quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 10,675,175 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $4,436,923,000 after acquiring an additional 583,536 shares during the period. Finally, Tilia Fiduciary Partners Inc. increased its position in UnitedHealth Group by 4.1% during the 2nd quarter. Tilia Fiduciary Partners Inc. now owns 7,020 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $2,918,000 after purchasing an additional 276 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.86% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at UnitedHealth Group

In other news, CEO Patrick Hugh Conway sold 1,169 shares of UnitedHealth Group stock in a transaction on Friday, August 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $390.00, for a total transaction of $455,910.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 15,328 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,977,920. The trade was a 7.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.19% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on UNH shares. Zacks Research raised shares of UnitedHealth Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. UBS Group increased their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $460.00 to $490.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Wall Street Zen raised UnitedHealth Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 8th. Piper Sandler set a $477.00 price objective on UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $466.00 to $516.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have issued a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, UnitedHealth Group presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $456.56.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Performance

Shares of UNH opened at $393.99 on Friday. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 12 month low of $255.96 and a 12 month high of $461.62. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $413.28 and a 200-day moving average price of $360.11. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The firm has a market cap of $353.64 billion, a PE ratio of 25.35, a P/E/G ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 0.62.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 16th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.94 by $1.44. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 16.53% and a net margin of 3.14%.The company had revenue of $112.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $110.81 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $4.08 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up .4% compared to the same quarter last year. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 19.500-20.000 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 19.82 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 22nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 14th will be given a dividend of $2.32 per share. This represents a $9.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 14th. UnitedHealth Group’s payout ratio is currently 59.72%.

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.