UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) Upgraded at Raymond James Financial

04 Apr 2026, 06:50 by Danessa Lincoln · The Markets Daily

Raymond James Financial upgraded shares of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH – Free Report) from a market perform rating to an outperform rating in a research report report published on Wednesday, MarketBeat.com reports. They currently have $330.00 price target on the healthcare conglomerate’s stock.

UNH has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Mizuho lowered their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $430.00 to $350.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. UBS Group decreased their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $430.00 to $410.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Piper Sandler reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $425.00 to $389.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Leerink Partners reduced their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $410.00 to $345.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have given a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $363.38.

Get Our Latest Report on UnitedHealth Group

UnitedHealth Group Stock Up 0.0%

NYSE:UNH opened at $277.30 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 0.79. The stock has a market capitalization of $251.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.02, a P/E/G ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 0.40. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $283.03 and its 200-day simple moving average is $319.91. UnitedHealth Group has a fifty-two week low of $234.60 and a fifty-two week high of $606.36.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $2.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.09 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $113.73 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $113.38 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 14.79% and a net margin of 2.69%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 12.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $6.81 earnings per share. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.750- EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that UnitedHealth Group will post 29.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 9th were paid a $2.21 dividend. This represents a $8.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 9th. UnitedHealth Group’s payout ratio is currently 67.02%.

Institutional Trading of UnitedHealth Group

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in UNH. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position 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 worth $30,238,162,000 after acquiring an additional 995,210 shares during the period. State Street Corp increased its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 45,232,170 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $14,931,592,000 after purchasing an additional 1,119,834 shares in the last quarter. Capital World Investors lifted its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 3.8% in the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 22,591,042 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $7,457,723,000 after buying an additional 824,120 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 3.7% in the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 18,829,054 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $6,215,660,000 after buying an additional 680,077 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Capital International Investors raised its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 6.6% during the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 18,655,111 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $6,158,734,000 after acquiring an additional 1,155,162 shares during the last quarter. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

More UnitedHealth Group News

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

Positive Sentiment: Raymond James upgraded UNH to Outperform and set a $330 target, citing higher earnings upside from Optum margin improvement and AI initiatives — a catalyst for near‑term buying interest. UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) Trading 1.2% Higher After Analyst Upgrade
Positive Sentiment: Analysts and outlets are highlighting UNH’s planned multibillion‑dollar AI spend (including the Avery generative AI platform) as a lever to speed claims processing and lower costs — a medium‑term margin story if execution succeeds. How UnitedHealth’s AI Bet And Optum Margin Push At UnitedHealth Group (UNH) Has Changed Its Investment Story
Neutral Sentiment: Coverage pointing to a “quiet turnaround” and pieces framing UNH as a recovery/opportunity trade reflect growing investor interest but hinge on sustained margin progress and regulatory outcome. These narratives support demand but don’t remove execution risk. The Quiet Turnaround In UnitedHealth
Neutral Sentiment: Analyses benchmarking Q4 and longer‑term valuation debates highlight that UNH’s recent share decline has attracted some buy‑the‑dip interest from bullish analysts, balancing skepticism over near‑term volatility. Health Insurance Providers Stocks Q4 Recap: Benchmarking UnitedHealth (NYSE:UNH)
Negative Sentiment: Mairs & Power flagged that UnitedHealth’s own operational issues in 2025 were a material drag — a reminder that execution lapses (claims, workflows) can erase expected benefits from tech investments and weigh near‑term results. Self-Inflicted Operational Issues Pressured UnitedHealth Group (UNH) In 2025
Negative Sentiment: Leerink warns of sizable RADV (risk‑adjustment) audit exposure — a regulatory/financial risk that could lead to Medicare Advantage revenue adjustments and earnings pressure if assessments materialize. This is a key downside risk for investors to monitor. Leerink sees UnitedHealth stock facing largest RADV audit exposure

About UnitedHealth Group

(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.