2,071,359 Shares in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH Bought by The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company acquired a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm acquired 2,071,359 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock, valued at approximately $860,919,000. UnitedHealth Group comprises 0.7% of The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company’s holdings, making the stock its 25th largest holding.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $4,376,167,000. BlackRock Inc. lifted its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 4.6% in the 2nd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 76,863,061 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $31,946,594,000 after purchasing an additional 3,395,530 shares during the last quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. increased its position in UnitedHealth Group by 141.9% during the fourth quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,109,029 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $1,356,432,000 after buying an additional 2,410,128 shares during the last quarter. Cardano Risk Management B.V. lifted its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 864.4% in the fourth quarter. Cardano Risk Management B.V. now owns 2,523,700 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $833,099,000 after buying an additional 2,262,006 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE increased its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 21.8% during the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 11,713,684 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $3,169,606,000 after acquiring an additional 2,097,859 shares during the last quarter. 87.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

UNH has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $397.00 to $485.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of UnitedHealth Group from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $466.00 to $516.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. Oppenheimer boosted their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $420.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, July 17th. Finally, Mizuho increased their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $470.00 to $493.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, July 20th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have assigned a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $456.56.

UnitedHealth Group Trading Up 1.1%

UNH opened at $400.83 on Thursday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $413.54 and a 200 day simple moving average of $359.04. The stock has a market capitalization of $359.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.79, a P/E/G ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 0.62. The company has a quick ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a twelve month low of $255.96 and a twelve month high of $461.62.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 16th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.94 by $1.44. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 3.14% and a return on equity of 16.53%. The business had revenue of $112.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $110.81 billion. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up .4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $4.08 earnings per share. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 19.500-20.000 EPS. Analysts predict that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 19.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 22nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 14th will be given a $2.32 dividend. This represents a $9.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 14th. UnitedHealth Group’s payout ratio is currently 59.72%.

Key Stories Impacting UnitedHealth Group

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

• Positive Sentiment: UnitedHealth’s recovery story remains a major catalyst. The stock has generated a roughly 37% yearly return and recovered about 80% from its 12-month low, suggesting improving investor confidence after a difficult period. The company still appears attractive as a long-term investment. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated’s Recovery Story
• Positive Sentiment: Recent quarterly results provide fundamental support: UnitedHealth reported $6.38 in EPS versus a $4.94 consensus estimate and revenue of $112.03 billion versus expectations of $110.81 billion. Fiscal 2026 EPS guidance remains $19.50-$20.00, helping reinforce confidence in earnings recovery. UnitedHealth earnings beat supports guidance
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst comparisons favor UNH over Elevance Health, citing stronger earnings prospects, improving Medicare profitability, greater upside and a more favorable risk-reward profile. UnitedHealth versus Elevance
• Positive Sentiment: UnitedHealth was highlighted in a constructive managed-care industry outlook, which points to steady premium revenue, aging-population trends and business diversification as potential long-term supports. Managed-care industry outlook
• Neutral Sentiment: David Tepper’s Appaloosa Management sold its entire UnitedHealth position during the second quarter. The move may concern investors, but the accompanying analysis argues that UNH’s improving fundamentals could still make the sale a costly decision over the long term. David Tepper sold UnitedHealth shares
• Negative Sentiment: CEO Patrick Hugh Conway sold 1,169 shares for approximately $456,000, reducing his direct holdings by 7.09%. He retains a substantial position, so the transaction is a modest bearish signal rather than evidence of a fundamental change. UnitedHealth CEO SEC transaction filing

Insider Activity at UnitedHealth Group

In other news, CEO Patrick Hugh Conway sold 1,169 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $390.00, for a total value of $455,910.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 15,328 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,977,920. This trade represents a 7.09% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.19% of the company’s stock.

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.