Eastern Bank Has $3.83 Million Position in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH

Eastern Bank trimmed its holdings in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 44.5% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 11,078 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after selling 8,878 shares during the period. Eastern Bank’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $3,825,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA purchased a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the second quarter worth approximately $25,000. Sagard Holdings Management Inc. bought a new position in UnitedHealth Group during the 2nd quarter valued at $29,000. Islay Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the 2nd quarter worth $31,000. Riggs Asset Managment Co. Inc. boosted its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 69.4% during the second quarter. Riggs Asset Managment Co. Inc. now owns 105 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kilter Group LLC purchased a new stake in UnitedHealth Group in the 2nd quarter valued at about $34,000. Institutional investors own 87.86% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting UnitedHealth Group

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

• Positive Sentiment: Re-affirmed 2026 guidance and ACA subsidy developments support upside — bullish investors note UnitedHealth reiterated full‑year 2026 guidance and recent Senate action to extend ACA subsidies (though a veto was hinted at), removing a key downside risk to membership and revenue growth; some analysts/notes argue this sets the stock up to retake prior highs. UnitedHealth Could Re-Take Its All-Time High In 2026
• Positive Sentiment: New Milliman studies bolstering Medicare Advantage economics — UnitedHealth released commissioned actuarial work concluding Medicare Advantage is lower cost to the federal government and lower out‑of‑pocket for beneficiaries, giving UNH policy/PR ammunition to defend MA business and earnings. New Independent Studies: Medicare Advantage Delivers Greater Value
• Neutral Sentiment: Media and retail coverage — televised/influencer pieces and inclusion in dividend screens generate attention but are unlikely to move fundamentals near-term; useful for flow/interest context. Final Trades: Capital One, UnitedHealth, Regeneron and Alibaba The Dogs of the Dow
• Negative Sentiment: Senate report alleging aggressive Medicare‑advantage coding tactics hit sentiment — a U.S. Senate committee and major outlets (WSJ/Reuters) reported the company used aggressive methods to capture payment‑boosting diagnoses; the story prompted sell‑side commentary and intraday weakness as the alleged practices raise regulatory, legal and reimbursement risks. Senate report says UnitedHealth used aggressive tactics to boost medicare payments, WSJ reports UnitedHealth Medicare Senate Report (WSJ)

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UNH has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $317.00 to $409.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 17th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered UnitedHealth Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $333.00 target price for the company. in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. KeyCorp increased their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $350.00 to $400.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $433.00 to $440.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, Barclays raised their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $386.00 to $391.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $385.75.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Performance

Shares of UNH stock opened at $334.00 on Wednesday. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 12 month low of $234.60 and a 12 month high of $606.36. The stock has a market capitalization of $302.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.43, a PEG ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 0.42. 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 firm’s 50 day moving average is $329.72 and its 200 day moving average is $321.78.

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

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

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