Norges Bank Makes New Investment in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH

Norges Bank bought a new stake in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor bought 13,256,692 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock, valued at approximately $4,376,167,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Founders Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 3.0% in the fourth quarter. Founders Capital Management LLC now owns 982 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $324,000 after purchasing an additional 29 shares in the last quarter. Kellett Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Kellett Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,746 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $576,000 after purchasing an additional 29 shares in the last quarter. Cooper Financial Group lifted its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Cooper Financial Group now owns 4,338 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $1,432,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. Successful Portfolios LLC lifted its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. Successful Portfolios LLC now owns 1,194 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $411,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Auxano Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 3.4% in the third quarter. Auxano Advisors LLC now owns 964 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $333,000 after acquiring an additional 32 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.86% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Patrick Hugh Conway sold 800 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $355.00, for a total value of $284,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 17,805 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,320,775. This trade represents a 4.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

UnitedHealth Group Trading Down 0.7%

UnitedHealth Group stock opened at $379.70 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.80. The company has a market capitalization of $344.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.68, a PEG ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.64. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a one year low of $234.60 and a one year high of $404.15. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $336.85 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $321.55.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The healthcare conglomerate reported $7.23 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.76 by $0.47. The firm 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 business’s quarterly revenue was up 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $7.20 earnings per share. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 18.250- EPS. On average, analysts forecast that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 18.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on UNH shares. Argus raised shares of UnitedHealth Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $400.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $389.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 28th. HC Wainwright set a $492.00 price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Wednesday. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $340.00 to $373.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Finally, HSBC raised shares of UnitedHealth Group from a “reduce” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $300.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have given a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $397.63.

More UnitedHealth Group News

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

• Positive Sentiment: UnitedHealthcare said it will eliminate prior authorization requirements for nearly two-thirds of pediatric services by year-end. That could reduce administrative friction, improve patient/provider relations, and support customer satisfaction. Reuters article
• Positive Sentiment: Bernstein raised its price target on UNH to $492 from $444 and kept an Outperform rating, citing an EPS recovery outlook. Higher price targets from analysts can help reinforce investor confidence. Yahoo Finance article
• Neutral Sentiment: Berkshire Hathaway fully exited its UNH stake, which is drawing attention to valuation and regulatory risks. While not necessarily a fundamental change, the sale may weigh on sentiment around the stock. Yahoo Finance article
• Negative Sentiment: Massachusetts filed a lawsuit against a UnitedHealth insurance unit, alleging more than $100 million in Medicaid fraud tied to inflated illness severity claims. The lawsuit adds legal and reputational risk for UNH. Investing.com article

UnitedHealth Group 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.