Washington Trust Bank Has $9.68 Million Stock Position in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH

Washington Trust Bank cut its holdings in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 6.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 29,315 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after selling 1,858 shares during the period. Washington Trust Bank’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $9,677,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 91,600,260 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $30,238,162,000 after acquiring an additional 995,210 shares during the period. Capital World Investors grew its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 18.8% in the 3rd quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 21,766,922 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $7,516,107,000 after purchasing an additional 3,439,182 shares during the period. Capital International Investors grew its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 11.1% in the 3rd quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 17,499,949 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $6,042,710,000 after purchasing an additional 1,747,337 shares during the period. Capital Research Global Investors grew its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 126.9% in the 3rd quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 13,042,049 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $4,503,419,000 after purchasing an additional 7,293,009 shares during the period. Finally, Dodge & Cox grew its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 8.6% in the 3rd quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 9,505,636 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $3,282,296,000 after purchasing an additional 755,076 shares during the period. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. Erste Group Bank raised UnitedHealth Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 27th. Barclays boosted their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $327.00 to $373.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. TD Cowen upped their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $311.00 to $337.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $340.00 to $373.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 20th. Finally, Oppenheimer upped their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $385.00 to $405.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have given a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $378.88.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Performance

Shares of UnitedHealth Group stock opened at $384.40 on Tuesday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $308.40 and a two-hundred day moving average of $317.22. The stock has a market capitalization of $349.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.03, a PEG ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 0.64. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 52 week low of $234.60 and a 52 week high of $387.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 0.80.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The healthcare conglomerate reported $7.23 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.76 by $0.47. The company had revenue of $111.65 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $109.84 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 2.68% and a return on equity of 14.65%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $7.20 EPS. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 18.250- EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 18.29 EPS for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 9th were given a $2.21 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 9th. This represents a $8.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. UnitedHealth Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 66.77%.

Insider Activity at UnitedHealth Group

In related news, CEO Patrick Hugh Conway sold 800 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $355.00, for a total value of $284,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 17,805 shares in the company, valued at $6,320,775. This represents a 4.30% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.28% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.