Douglas Lane & Associates LLC Trims Stock Position in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH

Douglas Lane & Associates LLC reduced its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 4.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 74,074 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after selling 3,197 shares during the period. Douglas Lane & Associates LLC’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $25,578,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in UNH. Norges Bank purchased a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the 2nd quarter valued at about $3,837,207,000. Berkshire Hathaway Inc acquired a new stake in UnitedHealth Group during the second quarter worth approximately $1,572,193,000. Dodge & Cox raised its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 117.7% in the 2nd quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 8,750,560 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $2,729,912,000 after acquiring an additional 4,730,192 shares during the last quarter. Lone Pine Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the second quarter worth $528,273,000. Finally, Amundi increased its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 33.8% in the second quarter. Amundi now owns 6,191,871 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $1,904,372,000 after purchasing an additional 1,565,245 shares during the last quarter. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UNH has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Truist Financial upped their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $310.00 to $365.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 9th. TD Cowen lifted their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $335.00 to $338.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, October 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $310.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 9th. Barclays upped their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $352.00 to $386.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 9th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $440.00 target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Tuesday, August 26th. Seventeen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $385.54.

Key Headlines Impacting UnitedHealth Group

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

• Positive Sentiment: UnitedHealth published external reviews and made previously internal audit findings public as part of a transparency push — a governance move that could restore stakeholder trust over time and reduce regulatory risk. UnitedHealth Published External Reviews as Part of Transparency Push
• Positive Sentiment: Management released 23 action plans from an independent audit and committed to complete implementation by end of March, showing a clear remediation timeline that investors can monitor. This reduces execution uncertainty if plans are delivered. UnitedHealth Group commits to improvements after independent audit, patient backlash
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and outlets are pitching UNH as an attractive dividend/long-term buy for 2026 given scale and cash flow, which could draw income-focused buyers despite near-term volatility. Is UnitedHealth the Single Best Dividend Stock to Buy for 2026?
• Neutral Sentiment: Reuters reports the company will standardize and automate processes in its health services and pharmacy units — likely to improve efficiency long term but may cause near-term implementation costs. UnitedHealth pledges operational changes after external audits
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage is reframing UNH’s trajectory as “back to basics” for 2026 and re-evaluating valuation after a steep multi-quarter decline — helpful context but not immediate catalysts. How UnitedHealth will be getting ‘back to basics’ in 2026
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst writeups and comparison pieces (e.g., UNH vs. Eli Lilly) are prompting renewed investor debate on whether UNH’s pullback creates a buying opportunity or signals deeper secular concerns. Better Buy in 2026: UnitedHealth Group or Eli Lilly?
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent Chinese-language market updates and stock-commentary pieces summarize analyst views and outlooks ahead of year-end — useful for sentiment tracking but not new catalysts. UnitedHealth Group (UNH) Stock Update: Insights and Analyst Predictions Ahead of December 18, 2025 UNH Stock’s Transition From Stability To Growth
• Negative Sentiment: Patient backlash and the breadth of issues revealed by audits have hurt sentiment and could invite closer regulatory scrutiny or legal risk, pressuring the stock near term. UnitedHealth Group commits to improvements after independent audit, patient backlash
• Negative Sentiment: UNH has endured a steep 2025 drawdown (~35% YTD), prompting valuation re‑ratings and increased volatility — a macro reason some investors are selling rather than buying the remediation story. Is UnitedHealth the Single Best Dividend Stock to Buy for 2026?

UnitedHealth Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:UNH opened at $327.41 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 0.82. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a one year low of $234.60 and a one year high of $606.36. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $336.81 and its 200 day simple moving average is $318.19. The company has a market cap of $296.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.09, a PEG ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 0.43.

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

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 8th were paid a dividend of $2.21 per share. This represents a $8.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 8th. UnitedHealth Group’s dividend payout ratio is 46.14%.

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.