UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH Shares Bought by Principal Financial Group Inc.

Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 3.3% during the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 1,404,760 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after purchasing an additional 45,443 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $583,861,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UNH. Hilton Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 1.2% in the 2nd quarter. Hilton Capital Management LLC now owns 11,465 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $4,765,000 after buying an additional 132 shares in the last quarter. Fox Run Management L.L.C. purchased a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the 2nd quarter worth $831,000. Carret Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 0.7% in the second quarter. Carret Asset Management LLC now owns 6,370 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $2,648,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the period. Nicholas Hoffman & Company LLC. raised its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 9.0% during the second quarter. Nicholas Hoffman & Company LLC. now owns 2,812 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $1,169,000 after purchasing an additional 233 shares during the period. Finally, Journey Advisory Group LLC acquired a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the 2nd quarter valued at about $960,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.86% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently commented on UNH. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $466.00 to $516.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. Leerink Partners upped their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $400.00 to $462.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 17th. Truist Financial raised their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $440.00 to $480.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $463.00 to $478.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have given a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $455.92.

Insider Buying and Selling at UnitedHealth Group

In other UnitedHealth Group 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 transaction of $205,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 16,497 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,763,770. This trade represents a 2.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.19% of the company’s stock.

UnitedHealth Group Price Performance

UNH stock opened at $401.52 on Monday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $415.74 and its two-hundred day moving average is $352.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.78. The firm has a market capitalization of $360.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.84, a P/E/G ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.62. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 1 year low of $255.96 and a 1 year high of $461.62.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 16th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.38 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.94 by $1.44. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 3.14% and a return on equity of 16.53%. The firm had revenue of $112.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $110.81 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $4.08 earnings per share. The business’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. Analysts anticipate that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 19.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 22nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 14th will be issued a dividend of $2.32 per share. This represents a $9.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 14th. UnitedHealth Group’s payout ratio is 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.