First Trust Advisors LP Boosts Position in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH

First Trust Advisors LP lifted its holdings in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 187.9% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 278,209 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after acquiring an additional 181,577 shares during the quarter. First Trust Advisors LP’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $96,065,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Sagard Holdings Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the 2nd quarter valued at about $29,000. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC raised its position in UnitedHealth Group by 69.4% during the third quarter. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC now owns 83 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. Islay Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in UnitedHealth Group in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Hurley Capital LLC increased its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 81.6% during the 3rd quarter. Hurley Capital LLC now owns 89 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cloud Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the 3rd quarter valued at $32,000. 87.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

UnitedHealth Group Price Performance

UnitedHealth Group stock opened at $284.97 on Tuesday. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 12-month low of $234.60 and a 12-month high of $606.36. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. The stock has a market cap of $258.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.61, a PEG ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $307.41 and a 200 day moving average price of $325.89.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $2.11 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.09 by $0.02. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 14.79% and a net margin of 2.69%.The business had revenue of $113.73 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $113.38 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $6.81 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 12.3% compared to the same quarter last year. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.750- EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 earnings per share for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 9th will be paid a $2.21 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 9th. This represents a $8.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.1%. UnitedHealth Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 67.02%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have weighed in on UNH shares. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $408.00 to $361.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Leerink Partners cut their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $410.00 to $345.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $418.00 to $340.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $400.00 to $370.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 30th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, UnitedHealth Group has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $372.13.

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.