3,408 Shares in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH Bought by Empirical Asset Management LLC

Empirical Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 3,408 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock, valued at approximately $1,416,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 1.1% during the 4th 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. BlackRock Inc. lifted its position in UnitedHealth Group by 4.6% in the second quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 76,863,061 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $31,946,594,000 after purchasing an additional 3,395,530 shares during the period. State Street Corp increased its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 45,232,170 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $14,931,592,000 after buying an additional 1,119,834 shares during the period. Capital World Investors lifted its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 3.8% during the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 22,591,042 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $7,457,723,000 after acquiring an additional 824,120 shares during the period. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 3.7% in the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 18,829,054 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $6,215,660,000 after acquiring an additional 680,077 shares during the period. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

More UnitedHealth Group News

Here are the key news stories impacting UnitedHealth Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: UnitedHealth is reportedly prioritizing Medicare Advantage profitability over rapid membership growth by tightening benefits, improving pricing and controlling costs. The strategy could support stronger margins and more sustainable earnings, even if enrollment growth moderates. Is UnitedHealth Finding a Better Path to Medicare Advantage Growth?
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research added UNH to its Rank #1, or “Strong Buy,” lists for overall stocks, value stocks and income stocks. The repeated favorable rankings may reinforce investor confidence in the shares. New Strong Buy Stocks for August 21st
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts raised several forward EPS estimates, including Q1 2028 to $7.36 from $6.78 and Q2 2028 to $7.19 from $5.84. A separate report also noted an increase in the Q1 EPS estimate, while Zacks maintained a Strong Buy rating. Q1 EPS Estimate for UnitedHealth Group Increased by Analyst
• Neutral Sentiment: Forecast revisions were mixed: Q3 2027 EPS was reduced to $4.74 from $4.81 and Q4 2027 to $4.07 from $4.12, partially offsetting the increases for 2028.
• Negative Sentiment: Aon expects U.S. employer health-care costs to rise 9.5% in 2027. Persistent medical-cost inflation could pressure insurers’ margins and increase pricing, benefit and utilization-management challenges for UnitedHealth. AON Sees No Relief From Health-Cost Inflation

Insider Activity at UnitedHealth Group

In related news, CEO Patrick Hugh Conway sold 500 shares of the company’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 transaction of $205,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 16,497 shares in the company, valued at $6,763,770. This represents a 2.94% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.19% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. Erste Group Bank upgraded UnitedHealth Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. HSBC upped their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $300.00 to $380.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, July 6th. TD Cowen boosted their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $337.00 to $430.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of UnitedHealth Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets set a $512.00 price target on UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have issued a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $455.92.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Up 1.6%

Shares of NYSE:UNH opened at $390.94 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $413.99 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $355.96. The company has a market capitalization of $350.91 billion, a PE ratio of 25.16, a PEG ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 0.62. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 52 week low of $255.96 and a 52 week high of $461.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a current ratio of 0.78.

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

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 22nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 14th will be paid a dividend of $2.32 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 14th. This represents a $9.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. UnitedHealth Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 59.72%.

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.