UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH Stock Bought by First Citizens Bank & Trust Co.

First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. boosted its position in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 20.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 21,294 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,653 shares during the period. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co.’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $7,817,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Focus Financial Network Inc. increased its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Focus Financial Network Inc. now owns 33,275 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $12,215,000 after buying an additional 298 shares during the last quarter. My Personal CFO LLC boosted its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 3.8% in the third quarter. My Personal CFO LLC now owns 1,269 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $466,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. XY Planning Network Inc. grew its position in UnitedHealth Group by 4.3% during the third quarter. XY Planning Network Inc. now owns 2,277 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $836,000 after acquiring an additional 93 shares during the period. Allied Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in UnitedHealth Group by 4.7% during the third quarter. Allied Investment Advisors LLC now owns 641 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $235,000 after acquiring an additional 29 shares during the period. Finally, Copeland Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 721.3% during the 3rd quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC now owns 2,464 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $904,000 after purchasing an additional 2,164 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.86% of the company’s stock.

UnitedHealth Group Price Performance

Shares of UNH opened at $378.59 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $339.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.36, a PEG ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.60. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $387.44 and a 200-day moving average of $382.57. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 52 week low of $255.96 and a 52 week high of $461.62.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 13th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $4.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.14 by $0.55. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 3.14% and a return on equity of 16.53%. The company had revenue of $112.70 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $111.31 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.59 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down .4% on a year-over-year basis. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 20.500- EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 19.85 EPS for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 22nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 14th were issued a $2.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 14th. This represents a $9.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. UnitedHealth Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 59.72%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other UnitedHealth Group news, CEO Patrick Conway sold 1,169 shares of UnitedHealth Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $390.00, for a total value of $455,910.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 15,328 shares in the company, valued at $5,977,920. The trade was a 7.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.19% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Key Headlines Impacting UnitedHealth Group

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

• Positive Sentiment: UnitedHealth reported adjusted earnings of $4.69 per share, well above the approximately $4.14 analyst consensus, while revenue of $112.7 billion also exceeded estimates. Operating earnings rose 52% to $6.6 billion, supported by tighter medical-cost controls and improved execution. UnitedHealth Group tops estimates, hikes profit outlook as insurer manages high medical costs
• Positive Sentiment: Management raised its 2026 adjusted EPS outlook to at least $20.50, above the roughly $19.86 consensus estimate. The company also indicated that current analyst expectations for 2027 may be conservative, reinforcing the view that its turnaround is progressing. UnitedHealth Says Wall Street May Be Underestimating Its 2027 Earnings Potential
• Positive Sentiment: The medical care ratio improved to 88.4%, while artificial-intelligence tools reportedly reduced clinical-review times and administrative friction. Management also expects Medicaid margins to bottom in 2026 and improve thereafter. UnitedHealth Group Earnings Call Highlights Growth and AI
• Neutral Sentiment: Despite the earnings beat, revenue was essentially flat year over year and Optum Health revenue slipped, suggesting that the recovery is being driven more by margins and cost discipline than by broad-based top-line expansion.
• Negative Sentiment: Investors remain concerned about UnitedHealth’s Medicare strategy, including the impact of exiting or reducing exposure to less-profitable Medicare business. Those concerns cloud the otherwise strong quarter and explain why the stock reversed its early advance. UnitedHealth Group Drops 5.4% as Medicare Exit Clouds Q3 Beat

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $468.00 to $529.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Robert W. Baird upgraded UnitedHealth Group from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and increased their target price for the company from $287.00 to $453.00 in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Mizuho raised their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $470.00 to $493.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, July 20th. Piper Sandler boosted their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $477.00 to $499.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $463.00 to $478.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Twenty investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $462.59.

UnitedHealth Group Company Profile

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE: UNH) is a diversified health care and well-being company serving individuals, employers, health care providers and government programs. Its operations are organized primarily through UnitedHealthcare and Optum.

UnitedHealthcare provides health benefit plans and services, including employer-sponsored coverage, individual and family plans, Medicare and Medicaid offerings, and other government-supported programs. Its services include health insurance administration, pharmacy benefits and care management.

Optum provides health care services, technology and data solutions, pharmacy services, and analytics to health plans, employers, government agencies, health care providers and consumers.