What is Erste Group Bank’s Estimate for UNH FY2026 Earnings?

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) – Stock analysts at Erste Group Bank raised their FY2026 EPS estimates for shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report issued on Monday, July 27th. Erste Group Bank analyst H. Engel now forecasts that the healthcare conglomerate will earn $19.85 per share for the year, up from their previous estimate of $18.33. Erste Group Bank currently has a “Buy” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for UnitedHealth Group’s current full-year earnings is $19.69 per share. Erste Group Bank also issued estimates for UnitedHealth Group’s FY2027 earnings at $22.44 EPS.

A number of other equities research analysts have also commented on the company. Weiss Ratings lowered UnitedHealth Group from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Argus upgraded shares of UnitedHealth Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $400.00 price target for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $463.00 to $478.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Mizuho upped their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $470.00 to $493.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, July 20th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets set a $512.00 target price on UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have issued a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $455.92.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Performance

Shares of UNH stock opened at $421.30 on Thursday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $410.08 and its 200-day simple moving average is $347.25. The company has a market capitalization of $382.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.11, a P/E/G ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 0.62. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. UnitedHealth Group has a 1-year low of $234.60 and a 1-year high of $461.62.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 16th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.38 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.94 by $1.44. The firm had revenue of $112.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $110.81 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 3.14% and a return on equity of 16.53%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up .4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $4.08 EPS. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 19.500-20.000 EPS.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in UNH. Walker Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in UnitedHealth Group during the second quarter valued at approximately $229,000. Ballast Inc. grew its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 11.4% in the 2nd quarter. Ballast Inc. now owns 17,484 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $7,267,000 after buying an additional 1,791 shares during the last quarter. Regent Peak Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in UnitedHealth Group by 21.3% during the 2nd quarter. Regent Peak Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,620 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $673,000 after acquiring an additional 285 shares during the last quarter. Annex Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 159.6% during the second quarter. Annex Advisory Services LLC now owns 68,577 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $28,503,000 after acquiring an additional 42,157 shares during the period. Finally, Whitener Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 43.0% in the second quarter. Whitener Capital Management Inc. now owns 3,893 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $1,618,000 after purchasing an additional 1,171 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.86% of the company’s stock.

UnitedHealth Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 23rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th were given a dividend of $2.32 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 15th. This is a positive change from UnitedHealth Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.21. This represents a $9.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. UnitedHealth Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 59.72%.

Key UnitedHealth Group News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Strong Q2 results and higher guidance: UnitedHealth reported $112.03 billion in revenue and $6.38 in adjusted earnings per share, exceeding consensus estimates of $110.81 billion and $4.94, respectively. Improved margins and a lower medical cost ratio supported the company’s decision to raise its 2026 earnings outlook to $19.50–$20.00 per share. UnitedHealth Just Gave Wall Street a Clearer Turnaround Signal
• Positive Sentiment: Cost controls are improving investor confidence: Analysts highlighted the lower medical costs, stronger profitability and ongoing share repurchases as evidence that UnitedHealth’s turnaround is gaining traction. The company is increasingly viewed as a buy candidate following the earnings beat. UnitedHealth’s Cost-Control Story is Gaining Momentum
• Positive Sentiment: Broker sentiment remains favorable: Wall Street brokerages have assigned UNH a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating, while the company’s earnings strength has placed it among several blue-chip stocks favored after strong second-quarter results. UnitedHealth Given Moderate Buy Consensus
• Positive Sentiment: Community-care investment: UnitedHealth committed $4 million to expand health hubs with UT Health Sciences across Tennessee, potentially strengthening local healthcare access and the company’s long-term community relationships. UnitedHealth Partners with UT Health Sciences

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.