Washington Trust Bank Sells 1,858 Shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH

Washington Trust Bank lessened its holdings in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 6.0% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 29,315 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after selling 1,858 shares during the period. Washington Trust Bank’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $9,677,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Beacon Financial Strategies CORP acquired a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Anfield Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 220.0% during the 4th quarter. Anfield Capital Management LLC now owns 80 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Joseph Group Capital Management acquired a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 69.4% during the 3rd quarter. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC now owns 83 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Finally, 1248 Management LLC acquired a new stake in UnitedHealth Group in the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. Institutional investors own 87.86% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Argus upgraded shares of UnitedHealth Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $400.00 target price for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $389.00 to $420.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 28th. Leerink Partners raised their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $345.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $327.00 to $373.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $278.00 to $287.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have issued a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $378.88.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:UNH opened at $384.40 on Tuesday. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 1 year low of $234.60 and a 1 year high of $387.21. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $349.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 0.64. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $308.40 and its 200 day simple moving average is $317.22.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The healthcare conglomerate reported $7.23 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.76 by $0.47. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 2.68% and a return on equity of 14.65%. The firm had revenue of $111.65 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $109.84 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $7.20 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 18.250- EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 18.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 9th were given a $2.21 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 9th. This represents a $8.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.3%. UnitedHealth Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 66.77%.

Insider Activity at UnitedHealth Group

In other news, CEO Patrick Hugh Conway sold 800 shares of UnitedHealth Group stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 23rd. The shares were 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. The trade was a 4.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

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.