Scharf Investments LLC Grows Position in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH

Scharf Investments LLC boosted its stake in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 399.2% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 178,972 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after buying an additional 143,122 shares during the period. Scharf Investments LLC’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $59,085,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Beacon Financial Strategies CORP bought a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Sagard Holdings Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the 2nd quarter worth about $29,000. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC increased its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 69.4% during the 3rd quarter. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC now owns 83 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. 1248 Management LLC bought a new stake in UnitedHealth Group in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, Holos Integrated Wealth LLC bought a new position in UnitedHealth Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. 87.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Up 3.2%

Shares of NYSE:UNH opened at $270.24 on Wednesday. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 1 year low of $234.60 and a 1 year high of $606.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.79. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $287.64 and its 200 day moving average is $321.03. The company has a market cap of $245.29 billion, a PE ratio of 20.49, a P/E/G ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 0.41.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 27th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $2.11 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.09 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $113.73 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $113.38 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 14.79% and a net margin of 2.69%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 12.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $6.81 EPS. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.750- EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 EPS for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 9th were given a dividend of $2.21 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 9th. This represents a $8.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.3%. UnitedHealth Group’s payout ratio is currently 67.02%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on UNH. Evercore raised shares of UnitedHealth Group to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of UnitedHealth Group from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. UBS Group decreased their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $430.00 to $410.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $418.00 to $340.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, UnitedHealth Group currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $372.13.

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.