UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH Shares Sold by Clearbridge Investments LLC

Clearbridge Investments LLC lessened its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 8.7% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 1,304,769 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after selling 123,992 shares during the period. Clearbridge Investments LLC’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $430,717,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UNH. Norges Bank acquired a new position in UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $4,376,167,000. Capital Research Global Investors grew its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 126.9% during the 3rd quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 13,042,049 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $4,503,419,000 after acquiring an additional 7,293,009 shares in the last quarter. Capital World Investors grew its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 18.8% during the 3rd quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 21,766,922 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $7,516,107,000 after acquiring an additional 3,439,182 shares in the last quarter. Capital International Investors grew its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 11.1% during the 3rd quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 17,499,949 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $6,042,710,000 after acquiring an additional 1,747,337 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lone Pine Capital LLC acquired a new position in UnitedHealth Group during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $528,273,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.86% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on UNH. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $395.00 to $453.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $389.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 28th. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $444.00 to $492.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. HSBC upgraded UnitedHealth Group from a “reduce” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $300.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. Finally, Mizuho raised their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $410.00 to $440.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have given a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $404.42.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Up 1.0%

Shares of NYSE:UNH opened at $400.61 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $363.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.26, a P/E/G ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 0.64. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $348.12 and a 200 day moving average price of $323.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.80. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 1-year low of $234.60 and a 1-year high of $404.15.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The healthcare conglomerate reported $7.23 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.76 by $0.47. The firm had revenue of $111.65 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $109.84 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 2.68% and a return on equity of 14.65%. UnitedHealth Group’s quarterly revenue was up 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $7.20 EPS. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 18.250- EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 18.32 EPS for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 23rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be given 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 is Monday, June 15th. This is an increase from UnitedHealth Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.21. UnitedHealth Group’s payout ratio is currently 66.77%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other UnitedHealth Group news, CEO Patrick Hugh Conway sold 800 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $355.00, for a total transaction of $284,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 17,805 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,320,775. This represents a 4.30% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about UnitedHealth Group

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

• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America upgraded UnitedHealth Group to Buy and raised its price target to $450, citing improving medical cost trends and a better risk/reward setup heading into earnings. Article link
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley also lifted its price target on UNH to $453 and kept an Overweight rating, reinforcing the view that sentiment is improving. Article link
• Positive Sentiment: UnitedHealth raised its quarterly dividend by 5% to $2.32 per share, extending its long streak of annual dividend increases and signaling financial strength. Article link
• Positive Sentiment: Healthcare stocks, including UnitedHealth, are benefiting from a broader sector rebound as investors seek defensive stability and rotate out of more volatile areas of the market. Article link
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent coverage notes that UNH has already recovered sharply year to date, outpacing the broader market and its industry peer group. Article link
• Negative Sentiment: Some articles continue to highlight ongoing concerns around rising medical costs, managed-care scrutiny, and the stock’s earlier challenges, which could limit upside if operating trends worsen. Article link

UnitedHealth Group 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.