New York State Common Retirement Fund Cuts Stake in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH

New York State Common Retirement Fund trimmed its position in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 1,190,465 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after selling 13,174 shares during the quarter. UnitedHealth Group comprises about 0.5% of New York State Common Retirement Fund’s portfolio, making the stock its 26th biggest holding. New York State Common Retirement Fund’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $411,068,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 3.3% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 21,312,182 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $6,624,411,000 after buying an additional 675,075 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in UnitedHealth Group during the 2nd quarter valued at about $3,837,207,000. Dodge & Cox lifted its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 117.7% in the 2nd quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 8,750,560 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $2,729,912,000 after purchasing an additional 4,730,192 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 6.1% in the second quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 7,502,469 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $2,340,346,000 after purchasing an additional 432,084 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Amundi lifted its position in UnitedHealth Group by 33.8% during the second quarter. Amundi now owns 6,191,871 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $1,904,372,000 after buying an additional 1,565,245 shares in the last quarter. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UNH has been the topic of several analyst reports. UBS Group reduced their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $430.00 to $410.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. TD Cowen lifted their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $335.00 to $338.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $267.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 7th. Zacks Research upgraded UnitedHealth Group from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, October 6th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Wednesday. 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 issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $380.67.

UnitedHealth Group Trading Up 4.0%

UNH opened at $294.08 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. The firm has a market cap of $266.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.35, a P/E/G ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 0.42. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 52 week low of $234.60 and a 52 week high of $606.36. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $331.78 and a 200-day simple moving average of $323.60.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $2.11 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.09 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $113.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $113.38 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 14.79% and a net margin of 2.69%.UnitedHealth Group’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $6.81 EPS. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.750- EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 earnings per share for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 8th were issued a dividend of $2.21 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 8th. This represents a $8.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.0%. UnitedHealth Group’s dividend payout ratio is 46.14%.

Key Headlines Impacting UnitedHealth Group

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 beat on EPS and margin commentary — UnitedHealth reported Q4 EPS of $2.11, slightly above consensus, and highlighted Optum Rx strength and margin initiatives that management says will support profitability. This gives some near-term earnings credibility despite revenue softness. MarketBeat Q4 coverage
• Positive Sentiment: Capital returns remain a cushion — analysts and commentators note UNH’s dividend and ongoing buybacks (share-count reduction planned) support the equity’s floor and long-term shareholder returns. That underpins buy-the-dip arguments. MarketBeat: Buying opportunity
• Neutral Sentiment: Allegations of timely politician sales are drawing attention — reports show some lawmakers sold UNH shares before the plunge; this is a political/PR risk but not a fundamental earnings driver. Watch regulatory/oversight headlines. Finbold: Politician sales
• Negative Sentiment: Weak 2026 guidance — management guided to roughly $439B in 2026 revenue (down from 2025), signaling a rare revenue contraction tied to “right-sizing” and lower reimbursement expectations; this is the principal reason investors stampeded out. Investopedia: Guidance and drivers
• Negative Sentiment: CMS/Medicare payment proposal (Trump administration) — a much-smaller-than-expected proposed increase to Medicare Advantage payments materially reduces forward reimbursement assumptions for insurers and magnified UNH’s guidance concerns. That policy news triggered the sector sell-off. Benzinga: Medicare rates reaction
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts cut price targets — multiple firms trimmed 12–30% off prior targets (Jefferies, Leerink, Oppenheimer, RBC, UBS), keeping buy/outperform ratings but lowering upside expectations — adds short-term selling pressure. TickerReport / Benzinga aggregation
• Negative Sentiment: Large one-day market cap hit and volatility — UNH lost tens of billions in market value and dragged the Dow lower; that amplifies risk aversion and forces some funds to trim exposure. InsiderMonkey: Market impact

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.