UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH Shares Sold by Salem Investment Counselors Inc.

Salem Investment Counselors Inc. cut its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 20.5% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 8,113 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after selling 2,087 shares during the period. Salem Investment Counselors Inc.’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $2,978,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Copeland Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 721.3% in the 3rd quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC now owns 2,464 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $904,000 after buying an additional 2,164 shares in the last quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. raised its position in UnitedHealth Group by 15.5% during the third quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 13,941 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $5,117,000 after acquiring an additional 1,871 shares in the last quarter. Krilogy Financial LLC raised its position in UnitedHealth Group by 5.2% during the third quarter. Krilogy Financial LLC now owns 10,572 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $4,002,000 after acquiring an additional 521 shares in the last quarter. Affinity Capital Advisors LLC lifted its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 19.2% in the third quarter. Affinity Capital Advisors LLC now owns 918 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $348,000 after acquiring an additional 148 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fagan Associates Inc. grew its position in UnitedHealth Group by 2.6% in the third quarter. Fagan Associates Inc. now owns 4,987 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $1,831,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key UnitedHealth Group News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q3 earnings beat expectations: UnitedHealth reported adjusted EPS of $4.69 versus consensus near $4.14 and revenue of $112.7 billion versus estimates of $111.3 billion. Operating earnings rose to $6.6 billion, supported by improved cost management and profitability. UnitedHealth Group tops estimates, hikes profit outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Higher 2026 guidance: Management now expects adjusted earnings of at least $20.50 per share, above its prior $19.50–$20.00 range and analyst expectations around $19.85–$19.86. UnitedHealth Group stock jumps on profit outlook raise
• Positive Sentiment: Margin recovery is gaining credibility: The medical care ratio improved to 88.4%, while pricing discipline, benefit changes, care-delivery initiatives and AI tools helped reduce administrative friction. Management described 2026 as a potential bottom for Medicaid margins and outlined 13%–16% long-term earnings growth, with stronger growth targeted for 2027. UNH Q3 Earnings Call Highlights 2027 Growth and Margin Recovery
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support: Piper Sandler raised its target to $504 and maintained an overweight rating. Mizuho also named UNH a top healthcare pick, while other bullish views point to Optum’s earnings contribution and potential recovery in underappreciated business lines. UnitedHealth Stock Moves Higher
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst views remain mixed: Barclays trimmed its target to $440 while retaining overweight, and Baird lowered its target to $427 with a neutral rating. This suggests investors see meaningful upside but remain cautious about the pace and durability of the recovery. UnitedHealth Stock Forecast
• Negative Sentiment: Underlying pressures persist: Quarterly revenue was slightly below the prior year, while commercial medical costs and Medicaid profitability continue to pressure margins. Lower membership, the Medicare-related business reset and concerns that the earnings improvement may not yet be fully sustainable explain why the shares did not hold all of their initial gains. UnitedHealth Group Drops as Medicare Exit Clouds Q3 Beat

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other UnitedHealth Group news, CEO Patrick Conway sold 1,169 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $390.00, for a total transaction of $455,910.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 15,328 shares in the company, valued at $5,977,920. This represents a 7.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.19% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently commented on UNH shares. Piper Sandler increased their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $502.00 to $504.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Robert W. Baird reduced their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $453.00 to $427.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. Erste Group Bank cut shares of UnitedHealth Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, August 27th. Bank of America reissued a “buy” rating and set a $450.00 target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Monday, July 20th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $466.00 to $516.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. Twenty analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $461.83.

UnitedHealth Group Trading Up 4.8%

Shares of UNH stock opened at $396.02 on Thursday. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 12 month low of $255.96 and a 12 month high of $461.62. The company has a market cap of $355.46 billion, a PE ratio of 22.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 0.60. The company has a quick ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The business’s 50 day moving average is $387.10 and its two-hundred day moving average is $383.47.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 13th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $4.69 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.14 by $0.55. The business had revenue of $112.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $111.31 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 3.53% and a return on equity of 17.95%. UnitedHealth Group’s revenue for the quarter was down .4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.59 earnings per share. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 20.500- EPS. Equities analysts predict that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 20.00 EPS for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 22nd. Investors of record on Monday, September 14th were issued a $2.32 dividend. This represents a $9.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 14th. UnitedHealth Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 59.72%.

About UnitedHealth Group

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE: UNH) is a diversified health care and well-being company serving individuals, employers, health care providers and government programs. Its operations are organized primarily through UnitedHealthcare and Optum.

UnitedHealthcare provides health benefit plans and services, including employer-sponsored coverage, individual and family plans, Medicare and Medicaid offerings, and other government-supported programs. Its services include health insurance administration, pharmacy benefits and care management.

Optum provides health care services, technology and data solutions, pharmacy services, and analytics to health plans, employers, government agencies, health care providers and consumers.