UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) Stock Price Up 1.9% – Here’s Why

02 Jan 2026, 17:28 by Amy Steele · The Cerbat Gem

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH – Get Free Report) shares were up 1.9% during trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $340.26 and last traded at $336.3360. Approximately 6,763,418 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 21% from the average daily volume of 5,587,924 shares. The stock had previously closed at $330.11.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have issued reports on UNH. Zacks Research raised UnitedHealth Group from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, October 6th. Mizuho upped their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $300.00 to $430.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 9th. Weiss Ratings raised UnitedHealth Group from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Friday, October 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded shares of UnitedHealth Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $333.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $267.00 to $400.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 7th. Seventeen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, UnitedHealth Group has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $385.54.

Get Our Latest Stock Report on UnitedHealth Group

UnitedHealth Group Stock Up 1.9%

The firm’s 50 day moving average is $331.11 and its two-hundred day moving average is $319.52. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. The stock has a market cap of $304.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.55, a P/E/G ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 0.43.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 28th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $2.92 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.87 by $0.05. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 19.23% and a net margin of 4.04%.The business had revenue of $113.16 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $113.19 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $7.15 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts predict that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 EPS for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 16th. Investors of record on Monday, December 8th were paid a dividend of $2.21 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 8th. This represents a $8.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.6%. UnitedHealth Group’s payout ratio is 46.14%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA acquired a new stake in UnitedHealth Group during the 2nd quarter worth about $25,000. Bayforest Capital Ltd boosted its position in UnitedHealth Group by 685.7% during the 1st quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd now owns 55 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares during the period. Sagard Holdings Management Inc. purchased a new stake in UnitedHealth Group in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 69.4% in the 3rd quarter. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC now owns 83 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. Finally, 1248 Management LLC bought a new stake in UnitedHealth Group in the third quarter worth approximately $29,000. 87.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

UnitedHealth Group Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

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.