UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) Issues FY 2026 Earnings Guidance

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) updated its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Tuesday. The company provided earnings per share guidance of 18.250- for the period, compared to the consensus earnings per share estimate of 17.780. The company issued revenue guidance of -, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $440.7 billion.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. Mizuho dropped their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $430.00 to $350.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. KeyCorp reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Evercore raised UnitedHealth Group to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut UnitedHealth Group from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have assigned a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $364.79.

UnitedHealth Group Trading Down 0.4%

UnitedHealth Group stock opened at $323.44 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. UnitedHealth Group has a 12 month low of $234.60 and a 12 month high of $453.50. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $287.80 and its 200-day simple moving average is $316.94. The stock has a market cap of $293.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.52, a P/E/G ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 0.40.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 21st. The healthcare conglomerate reported $7.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.76 by $0.47. The firm had revenue of $111.65 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $109.84 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 14.79% and a net margin of 2.69%.UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 18.250- EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that UnitedHealth Group will post 17.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed 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. This represents a $8.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 9th. UnitedHealth Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 67.02%.

Trending Headlines about UnitedHealth Group

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 beat on both revenue and EPS — UNH reported $7.23 EPS vs. $6.76 consensus and revenue above estimates, with first‑quarter net income around $6.3B, signaling operating improvement. Press Release
• Positive Sentiment: Management raised FY‑2026 adjusted EPS guidance to greater than $18.25 (above Street consensus), a direct catalyst for the stock’s early surge as it suggests a clearer turnaround path. MarketWatch
• Positive Sentiment: Company cited better cost management, Optum restructuring progress and improved government payments as drivers of margin recovery — easing investor fears about runaway medical costs. Reuters
• Positive Sentiment: Sell‑side optimism and price‑target upgrades (e.g., Jefferies raised its target) amplified buying interest ahead of and after the print. Benzinga
• Neutral Sentiment: Operational initiatives — such as eliminating most prior authorizations for rural providers and accelerating rural payments — could improve access and reduce friction, but the financial impact will be gradual. Business Wire
• Negative Sentiment: Offset risks remain — coverage of a potential ~$6B Medicare payment headwind and commentary that earnings are still only a modest improvement could limit upside and increase volatility. Yahoo Finance
• Negative Sentiment: Some outlets framed results as a tentative or “flat” comeback versus prior periods, which can keep short‑term skepticism alive despite the beat. NYT

Hedge Funds Weigh In On UnitedHealth Group

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of UNH. Caitlin John LLC boosted its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 3.9% during the 4th quarter. Caitlin John LLC now owns 1,064 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $351,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Riggs Asset Managment Co. Inc. raised its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 69.4% in the 2nd quarter. Riggs Asset Managment Co. Inc. now owns 105 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Riverwater Partners LLC boosted its position in UnitedHealth Group by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Riverwater Partners LLC now owns 2,458 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $811,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the period. Safeguard Investment Advisory Group LLC boosted its position in UnitedHealth Group by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Safeguard Investment Advisory Group LLC now owns 3,822 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $1,262,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the period. Finally, Sittner & Nelson LLC boosted its position in UnitedHealth Group by 7.2% during the third quarter. Sittner & Nelson LLC now owns 682 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $236,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the period. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.