Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. Grows Holdings in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH

Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 0.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 254,890 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,715 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co.’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $84,142,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Intech Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 74.0% in the 4th quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 92,073 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $30,394,000 after purchasing an additional 39,151 shares in the last quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 9.7% in the fourth quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 19,033 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $6,283,000 after buying an additional 1,678 shares during the last quarter. Godfrey Financial Associates Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Thoroughbred Financial Services LLC raised its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 4.8% in the 4th quarter. Thoroughbred Financial Services LLC now owns 6,675 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $2,203,000 after acquiring an additional 303 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp boosted its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 18.7% during the 4th quarter. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp now owns 2,431 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $802,000 after purchasing an additional 383 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.86% of the company’s stock.

UnitedHealth Group News Roundup

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 Price Performance

Shares of UnitedHealth Group stock opened at $379.70 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $336.85 and its 200 day moving average is $321.55. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a one year low of $234.60 and a one year high of $404.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 0.80. The stock has a market cap of $344.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.68, a P/E/G ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.64.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 14.65% and a net margin of 2.68%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $7.20 earnings per share. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 18.250- EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 18.29 earnings per share for the current year.

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 shares were sold at an average price of $355.00, for a total transaction of $284,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 17,805 shares in the company, valued at $6,320,775. This trade represents a 4.30% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.28% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

UNH has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. HC Wainwright set a $492.00 price objective on UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Wednesday. Truist Financial reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $395.00 price target (up from $370.00) on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Argus raised 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 report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Barclays raised their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $373.00 to $429.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $361.00 to $400.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have issued a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, UnitedHealth Group has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $397.63.

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.