UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report sent to investors on Saturday.

Several other research firms also recently commented on UNH. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $397.00 to $485.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. Oppenheimer boosted their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $420.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, July 17th. Bank of America restated a “buy” rating on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Monday, July 20th. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Thursday, June 11th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have given a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $455.92.

UnitedHealth Group Trading Up 0.4%

Shares of UnitedHealth Group stock opened at $408.70 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 0.78. UnitedHealth Group has a 52 week low of $252.14 and a 52 week high of $461.62. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $414.66 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $351.47. The stock has a market capitalization of $371.16 billion, a PE ratio of 26.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 0.62.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 16th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.94 by $1.44. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 16.53% and a net margin of 3.14%.The company had revenue of $112.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $110.81 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $4.08 EPS. UnitedHealth Group’s quarterly revenue was up .4% compared to the same quarter last year. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 19.500-20.000 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that UnitedHealth Group will post 19.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 23rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th were given a dividend of $2.32 per share. This is a boost from UnitedHealth Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.21. This represents a $9.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 15th. UnitedHealth Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 59.72%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Patrick Hugh Conway sold 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $410.00, for a total value of $205,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 16,497 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,763,770. This trade represents a 2.94% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.19% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in UNH. Vaughan David Investments LLC IL lifted its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. Vaughan David Investments LLC IL now owns 150,773 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $49,772,000 after buying an additional 3,934 shares during the last quarter. Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. raised its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 1,287.2% during the 1st quarter. Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. now owns 60,022 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $16,241,000 after acquiring an additional 55,695 shares in the last quarter. PBCay One RSC Ltd acquired a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the first quarter valued at approximately $14,343,000. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 91,600,260 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $30,238,162,000 after purchasing an additional 995,210 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 8.7% in the 4th quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. now owns 102,260 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $33,757,000 after buying an additional 8,226 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.86% of the company’s stock.

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.