Principal Financial Group Inc. Sells 603,613 Shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH

Principal Financial Group Inc. lowered its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 29.5% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 1,442,968 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after selling 603,613 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $498,259,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Souders Financial Advisors lifted its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 7.4% in the third quarter. Souders Financial Advisors now owns 3,720 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $1,284,000 after acquiring an additional 256 shares during the last quarter. Blake Schutter Theil Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in UnitedHealth Group in the third quarter valued at approximately $298,000. Flaharty Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 35.3% during the third quarter. Flaharty Asset Management LLC now owns 1,838 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $635,000 after buying an additional 480 shares in the last quarter. Gitterman Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 12.5% during the 3rd quarter. Gitterman Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,909 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $1,004,000 after acquiring an additional 323 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Victrix Investment Advisors increased its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 91.6% in the 3rd quarter. Victrix Investment Advisors now owns 14,464 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $4,995,000 after purchasing an additional 6,916 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.86% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UNH has been the subject of several recent research reports. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Wednesday. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $418.00 to $340.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Oppenheimer reduced their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $415.00 to $385.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Barclays reduced their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $391.00 to $327.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $376.75.

Key Stories Impacting UnitedHealth Group

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 beat and near-term optimism: UNH reported an EPS beat that briefly lifted sentiment and helped the stock rally after the print. That positive earnings surprise shows operations can still deliver despite headwinds. UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) Shares Up 4% After Earnings Beat
• Positive Sentiment: Potential policy upside: Commentary that UNH is negotiating with the administration for more favorable Medicare rates is a tailwind if realized, supporting longer-term policy risk mitigation. 5 Stocks Primed for a Turnaround in 2026
• Neutral Sentiment: Modest analyst adjustments but continued support: Morgan Stanley trimmed its target slightly while keeping an Overweight rating, signaling analyst conviction remains even as near-term assumptions are revised. UnitedHealth (UNH) Sees Modest Target Cut at Morgan Stanley
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor debate on durability: Several analyst pieces argue the current weakness may be temporary (AI-driven efficiencies, margin recovery) — this creates mixed near-term flows as value buyers size positions vs. risk-averse sellers. UnitedHealth: Opportunity Is Here – Temporary FY2026 Pain
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst price-target cuts: Barclays and Wells Fargo lowered targets (while keeping Overweight ratings), signaling reduced near-term expectations and likely weighing on buying momentum. Analyst Price Target Changes (Benzinga)
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory/reimbursement pressure: Proposed smaller Medicare reimbursements and government scrutiny of insurer margins remain the largest catalyst for the sell-off and uncertainty around 2026-27 margins. UnitedHealth Plunges After Weak Earnings
• Negative Sentiment: Elevated bearish positioning: Unusual options activity showed a large jump in put buying, indicating short-term hedging or speculative bearish bets that can amplify downward moves. (Options volume data reported 376,697 puts traded vs. average ~163k.)

UnitedHealth Group Price Performance

UnitedHealth Group stock opened at $287.03 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $330.74 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $323.51. The stock has a market capitalization of $260.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.76, a PEG ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 0.79. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 52-week low of $234.60 and a 52-week high of $606.36.

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

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 8th were issued a $2.21 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 8th. This represents a $8.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.1%. UnitedHealth Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 67.02%.

UnitedHealth Group Company 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.