Royal Bank Of Canada Cuts UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) Price Target to $361.00

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) had its price objective decreased by research analysts at Royal Bank Of Canada from $408.00 to $361.00 in a note issued to investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an “outperform” rating on the healthcare conglomerate’s stock. Royal Bank Of Canada’s target price points to a potential upside of 23.17% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other analysts also recently issued reports on the company. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered UnitedHealth Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $333.00 price target for the company. in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $310.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 9th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Zacks Research raised UnitedHealth Group from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, October 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, UnitedHealth Group has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $386.25.

UnitedHealth Group Price Performance

UnitedHealth Group stock traded up $10.39 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $293.09. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 14,713,126 shares, compared to its average volume of 10,987,283. UnitedHealth Group has a 12 month low of $234.60 and a 12 month high of $606.36. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. The company has a market capitalization of $265.50 billion, a PE ratio of 15.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 0.42. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $332.08 and its 200-day moving average price is $323.81.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $2.11 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.09 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $113.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $113.38 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 4.04% and a return on equity of 19.23%. The firm’s revenue was up 12.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $6.81 EPS. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.750- EPS. Analysts anticipate that UnitedHealth Group will post 29.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of UnitedHealth Group

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of UNH. Brighton Jones LLC increased its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 176.2% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 44,249 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $22,384,000 after purchasing an additional 28,231 shares during the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC raised its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 137.1% in the fourth quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 4,019 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $2,033,000 after purchasing an additional 2,324 shares in the last quarter. CMT Capital Markets Trading GmbH bought a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the 2nd quarter valued at $340,000. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 14.6% in the second quarter. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 799 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $249,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Liberty Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 5.2% during the second quarter. Liberty Capital Management Inc. now owns 14,780 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $4,611,000 after buying an additional 726 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.86% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting UnitedHealth Group

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

• Positive Sentiment: Modest Q4 beat on EPS and signs of profit recovery — UNH topped EPS expectations ($2.11 vs. ~$2.09) and management said cost-control measures should lift profit, which supports a near-term recovery narrative. UnitedHealth forecasts 2026 profit slightly above estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Business tailwinds in pharmacy/Optum Rx and ongoing buybacks/dividends — segment strength (Optum Rx) and continued capital returns make the pullback attractive to long-term buyers. UnitedHealth Group (UNH) Q4 Earnings Beat Estimates
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst target revision but rating intact — UBS trimmed its price target (from $430 to $410) yet kept a Buy rating, which tempers the negative signal from the lowered target and supports incremental buying interest. Benzinga
• Negative Sentiment: Soft 2026 revenue outlook — UNH guided to roughly $439B for 2026 (implying a ~2% revenue decline), its first projected revenue drop in decades, which triggered heavy selling and remains a central drag on sentiment. UnitedHealth’s stock falls further after saying it expects revenue to decline in 2026
• Negative Sentiment: Medicare-rate proposal hit — a government proposal to keep Medicare Advantage payments nearly flat for 2027 materially reduced revenue expectations for insurers, a principal catalyst for last week’s plunge. UnitedHealth Says Trump’s 2027 Medicare Rates ‘Profoundly Negative’ For Seniors
• Negative Sentiment: Restructuring charge and one-offs — the company took a sizable restructuring hit (~$1.6B) that compressed near-term earnings and adds execution risk to the turnaround story. UnitedHealth Takes $1.6 Billion Hit To Earnings Amid Restructuring
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory and governance headlines — reports of politicians selling UNH ahead of the sell-off and heightened regulatory scrutiny add reputational/oversight risk that can keep volatility elevated. These 3 U.S. politicians suspiciously dumped UnitedHealth stock

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.