UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) Shares Up 2% – Here’s What Happened
by Michael Walen · The Markets DailyUnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH – Get Free Report) shot up 2% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $354.95 and last traded at $354.74. 7,361,077 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 5% from the average session volume of 7,010,502 shares. The stock had previously closed at $347.75.
UnitedHealth Group News Summary
Here are the key news stories impacting UnitedHealth Group this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Mizuho reiterated a Buy on UNH and kept a $430 price target, highlighting the importance of the upcoming Medicare Advantage 2027 Advance Notice as a potential tailwind for enrollment and margins. Mizuho reiterates Buy
- Positive Sentiment: Retail sentiment on Reddit and X has moved from deeply bearish to neutral over the past week, helping shares recover after retail-driven selling earlier this month. Reddit sentiment shift
- Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley trimmed its price target slightly (from $411 to $409) but kept an Overweight rating, signaling continued analyst confidence despite a small technical cut to the target. Morgan Stanley target change
- Neutral Sentiment: Recent commentary and market moves note UNH has outperformed the broader market in short-term trading, reflecting mixed buying interest ahead of the Jan. 27 catalyst. Outperforms broader market
- Negative Sentiment: UnitedHealth executives faced tough questioning from Congress on healthcare affordability — a reminder of political/regulatory risk that could pressure policy outcomes or public perception. Congressional grilling
- Negative Sentiment: UnitedHealth announced it will rebate 2026 ACA plan profits to customers, which could weigh on near-term margins and highlights ongoing regulatory/competitive pressure in the individual market. ACA profit rebate
- Negative Sentiment: Analysts warn of rising medical costs and a higher medical cost ratio (MCR) heading into Q4 results — several pieces advise caution until the Jan. 27 release when clearer margin and cost detail will arrive. Cost pressures warning
Analyst Ratings Changes
A number of research analysts recently weighed in on UNH shares. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $411.00 to $409.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Zacks Research upgraded shares of UnitedHealth Group from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, October 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $310.00 to $425.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 9th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $433.00 to $440.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $386.33.
Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on UNH
UnitedHealth Group Price Performance
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 company’s 50 day moving average price is $332.07 and its 200 day moving average price is $323.33. The company has a market cap of $322.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.60, a PEG ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 0.42.
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. The firm had revenue of $113.16 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $113.19 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 4.04% and a return on equity of 19.23%. The firm’s revenue was up 12.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $7.15 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 earnings per share for the current year.
UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement
The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 8th were issued a $2.21 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 8th. This represents a $8.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. UnitedHealth Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 46.14%.
Institutional Trading of UnitedHealth Group
A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Murphy Pohlad Asset Management LLC boosted its position in UnitedHealth Group by 21.8% during the second quarter. Murphy Pohlad Asset Management LLC now owns 4,425 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $1,380,000 after purchasing an additional 791 shares during the last quarter. Carnegie Investment Counsel lifted its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter. Carnegie Investment Counsel now owns 105,621 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $36,471,000 after buying an additional 2,316 shares during the last quarter. Berkshire Hathaway Inc acquired a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the second quarter worth approximately $1,572,193,000. IFP Advisors Inc lifted its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 20.7% in the second quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 20,683 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $6,462,000 after acquiring an additional 3,545 shares during the last quarter. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 48.9% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 5,790 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $1,806,000 after purchasing an additional 1,901 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.86% of the company’s stock.
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.