What is Erste Group Bank’s Forecast for UNH FY2027 Earnings?

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) – Equities research analysts at Erste Group Bank raised their FY2027 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for UnitedHealth Group in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday, May 5th. Erste Group Bank analyst H. Engel now forecasts that the healthcare conglomerate will earn $20.67 per share for the year, up from their prior estimate of $20.62. Erste Group Bank currently has a “Buy” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for UnitedHealth Group’s current full-year earnings is $18.29 per share.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The healthcare conglomerate reported $7.23 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.76 by $0.47. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 14.65% and a net margin of 2.68%.The business had revenue of $111.65 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $109.84 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $7.20 EPS. UnitedHealth Group’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.

UNH has been the topic of several other reports. HSBC raised UnitedHealth Group from a “reduce” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $300.00 target price on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $405.00 to $411.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. Piper Sandler reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $370.00 to $397.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, TD Cowen upped their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $311.00 to $337.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have assigned a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $378.88.

UnitedHealth Group Trading Up 0.6%

NYSE UNH opened at $369.65 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $304.54 and its 200 day moving average is $316.98. The firm has a market capitalization of $335.70 billion, a PE ratio of 27.92, a P/E/G ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 0.64. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. UnitedHealth Group has a twelve month low of $234.60 and a twelve month high of $390.92.

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 9th were issued a $2.21 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 9th. This represents a $8.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.4%. UnitedHealth Group’s payout ratio is presently 66.77%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Patrick Hugh Conway sold 800 shares of the firm’s 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 transaction, the chief executive officer owned 17,805 shares in the company, 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 filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On UnitedHealth Group

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of UNH. Brighton Jones LLC raised its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 176.2% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 44,249 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $22,384,000 after acquiring an additional 28,231 shares in the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC lifted its position in UnitedHealth Group by 137.1% during the 4th quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 4,019 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $2,033,000 after acquiring an additional 2,324 shares during the period. CMT Capital Markets Trading GmbH acquired a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $340,000. Flow Traders U.S. LLC acquired a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the second quarter worth $356,000. Finally, Jump Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the 2nd quarter valued at about $377,000. 87.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.