UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) Stock Price Up 1.7% on Analyst Upgrade

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)’s share price was up 1.7% on Monday after Barclays raised their price target on the stock from $386.00 to $391.00. Barclays currently has an overweight rating on the stock. UnitedHealth Group traded as high as $346.94 and last traded at $342.2780. Approximately 7,879,956 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 7% from the average daily volume of 7,368,501 shares. The stock had previously closed at $336.40.

UNH has been the subject of several other research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Tuesday, October 14th. They set a “buy” rating and a $406.00 price target for the company. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $286.00 to $408.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $317.00 to $409.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 17th. Mizuho raised their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $300.00 to $430.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 9th. Finally, Leerink Partners set a $410.00 price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. Seventeen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $385.75.

Trending Headlines about UnitedHealth Group

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

• Positive Sentiment: Barclays raised its price target on UNH to $391 and kept an “overweight” rating, signaling analyst conviction that the stock has upside from current levels. Barclays raises UNH price target
• Neutral Sentiment: Sustainable Growth Advisers (SGA) maintained its stake in UnitedHealth, which suggests some institutional holders are sitting tight despite recent volatility. SGA Maintained Stake
• Neutral Sentiment: The Wall Street Journal reports increased corporate security spending after last year’s high‑profile incident involving a UnitedHealth executive; it’s a reputational and cost item to monitor but not an immediate earnings driver. WSJ on corporate security changes
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts and media are flagging large share weakness (roughly a one‑year ~34% decline) and margin/cost pressure heading into Q4 results and 2026 guidance — a clear near‑term risk if results and guidance disappoint. Zacks: UNH down 34.5% in a year
• Negative Sentiment: Coverage and valuation pieces are re‑examining UNH after an operational overhaul and persistent margin pressure, signaling continued investor uncertainty ahead of company updates. Yahoo Finance: Reassessing valuation
• Negative Sentiment: Several articles advise waiting until the Jan. 27 earnings/updates before buying, emphasizing that trends in utilization and margins will determine whether the recent selloff is overdone. Fool: Don’t buy before Jan. 27

Institutional Trading of UnitedHealth Group

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

UnitedHealth Group Stock Up 1.7%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.82. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $330.10 and a 200-day simple moving average of $320.13. The stock has a market capitalization of $310.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.42.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, October 28th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $2.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.87 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $113.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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 for the quarter was up 12.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $7.15 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 8th were given a $2.21 dividend. This represents a $8.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 8th. UnitedHealth Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.