Q1 EPS Forecast for UnitedHealth Group Lowered by Analyst

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) – Stock analysts at Leerink Partnrs lowered their Q1 2026 earnings estimates for UnitedHealth Group in a research report issued on Tuesday, May 13th. Leerink Partnrs analyst W. Mayo now forecasts that the healthcare conglomerate will post earnings per share of $7.70 for the quarter, down from their previous forecast of $8.32. The consensus estimate for UnitedHealth Group’s current full-year earnings is $29.54 per share.

UNH has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $513.00 to $362.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $521.00 to $362.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. KeyCorp cut their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $575.00 to $450.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Truist Financial cut their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $660.00 to $580.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 21st. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of UnitedHealth Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $508.38.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Down 11.1%

Shares of UnitedHealth Group stock opened at $273.96 on Thursday. UnitedHealth Group has a 52-week low of $248.88 and a 52-week high of $630.73. The company has a 50 day moving average of $474.72 and a 200 day moving average of $515.82. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74. The company has a market capitalization of $248.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.67, a P/E/G ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 0.56.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 17th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $7.20 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $7.29 by ($0.09). UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 3.60% and a return on equity of 26.69%. The business had revenue of $109.58 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $111.56 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $6.91 EPS.

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 18th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th were paid a $2.10 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 10th. This represents a $8.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.07%. UnitedHealth Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 35.18%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On UnitedHealth Group

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in UNH. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton boosted its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 50.3% during the 4th quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 1,320 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $668,000 after purchasing an additional 442 shares in the last quarter. Tuttle Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 34.1% in the 4th quarter. Tuttle Capital Management LLC now owns 629 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $318,000 after buying an additional 160 shares in the last quarter. Tlwm boosted its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 4.0% in the 4th quarter. Tlwm now owns 2,708 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $1,370,000 after buying an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. Lpwm LLC boosted its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 80.8% in the 4th quarter. Lpwm LLC now owns 866 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $438,000 after buying an additional 387 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 2.3% in the 4th quarter. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,223 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $1,630,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

UnitedHealth Group Company Profile

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated operates as a diversified health care company in the United States. The company operates through four segments: UnitedHealthcare, Optum Health, Optum Insight, and Optum Rx. The UnitedHealthcare segment offers consumer-oriented health benefit plans and services for national employers, public sector employers, mid-sized employers, small businesses, and individuals; health care coverage, and health and well-being services to individuals age 50 and older addressing their needs; Medicaid plans, children's health insurance and health care programs; and health and dental benefits, and hospital and clinical services, as well as health care benefits products and services to state programs caring for the economically disadvantaged, medically underserved, and those without the benefit of employer-funded health care coverage.