Whittier Trust Co. Lowers Stake in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH

Whittier Trust Co. cut its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 10.0% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 34,615 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after selling 3,864 shares during the quarter. Whittier Trust Co.’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $9,739,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in UNH. Bogart Wealth LLC grew its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 11.6% during the first quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 624 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $169,000 after buying an additional 65 shares during the period. Dividend Assets Capital LLC boosted its position in UnitedHealth Group by 3.5% during the 1st quarter. Dividend Assets Capital LLC now owns 33,883 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $9,168,000 after purchasing an additional 1,158 shares during the period. Ascentis Independent Advisors increased its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 44.4% in the 1st quarter. Ascentis Independent Advisors now owns 3,458 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $936,000 after purchasing an additional 1,064 shares in the last quarter. Hardy Reed LLC lifted its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 3.8% during the first quarter. Hardy Reed LLC now owns 2,654 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $718,000 after purchasing an additional 98 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raleigh Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 5.8% in the first quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 806 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $218,000 after buying an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.86% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have commented on UNH shares. Mizuho boosted their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $440.00 to $460.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, June 8th. UBS Group boosted their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $410.00 to $460.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Weiss Ratings upgraded UnitedHealth Group from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $361.00 to $400.00 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-one have assigned a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $414.75.

UnitedHealth Group Trading Up 1.6%

UNH traded up $6.90 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $424.89. The stock had a trading volume of 1,134,563 shares, compared to its average volume of 8,581,893. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 1-year low of $234.60 and a 1-year high of $430.20. The firm has a market capitalization of $385.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 0.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.80. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $392.87 and its 200-day simple moving average is $335.60.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last released its quarterly 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 business had revenue of $111.65 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $109.84 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 2.68% and a return on equity of 14.65%. UnitedHealth Group’s revenue was up 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $7.20 earnings per share. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 18.250- EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 18.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 23rd. Investors of record on Monday, June 15th were paid a $2.32 dividend. This represents a $9.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. This is an increase from UnitedHealth Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.21. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 15th. UnitedHealth Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 70.09%.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Key Stories Impacting UnitedHealth Group

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

• Positive Sentiment: UnitedHealth is shifting its strategy toward profitability over rapid growth, with improving margins, stronger earnings, and Optum expansion seen as supporting a longer-term turnaround. UnitedHealth Bets on Profitability Over Growth: Will It Pay Off?
• Positive Sentiment: HSBC raised its price target on UNH to $380 and maintained a “hold” rating, reflecting continued analyst attention and a more favorable valuation view than before. HSBC raises UnitedHealth price target
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple recent analyst targets remain well above prior levels, including targets in the mid-$400s, which supports the view that Wall Street still sees recovery potential in the stock.
• Positive Sentiment: UnitedHealth became the first major commercial insurer to cover Guardant Health’s Shield blood test for colorectal cancer screening in eligible adults 45 and older, a move that could strengthen its role in emerging preventative care and improve access to innovative screening tools. UnitedHealth Group Opens Shield Blood Test Coverage
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary continues to frame UNH as a long-term momentum name and a defensive healthcare holding, suggesting investors still view it as a quality large-cap stock with stable fundamentals.
• Negative Sentiment: The stock declined in the latest trading session even as the broader market improved, indicating some near-term profit-taking or investor caution despite the favorable long-term setup. UnitedHealth Group Stock Declines While Market Improves

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.