Baillie Gifford & Co. Sells 643,207 Shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH

Baillie Gifford & Co. lessened its holdings in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 93.0% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 48,645 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after selling 643,207 shares during the period. Baillie Gifford & Co.’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $16,797,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 3.3% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 21,312,182 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $6,624,411,000 after purchasing an additional 675,075 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the 2nd quarter worth $3,837,207,000. Dodge & Cox lifted its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 117.7% during the 2nd quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 8,750,560 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $2,729,912,000 after acquiring an additional 4,730,192 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 6.1% in the second quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 7,502,469 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $2,340,346,000 after acquiring an additional 432,084 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Amundi lifted its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 33.8% during the second quarter. Amundi now owns 6,191,871 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $1,904,372,000 after purchasing an additional 1,565,245 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.86% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. Zacks Research raised UnitedHealth Group from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, October 6th. TD Cowen lifted their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $335.00 to $338.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Tuesday, October 14th. They set a “buy” rating and a $406.00 price objective on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein raised 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. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered UnitedHealth Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $333.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, UnitedHealth Group currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $386.33.

Trending Headlines about UnitedHealth Group

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

UnitedHealth Group Price Performance

UNH opened at $356.46 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $332.07 and its 200-day moving average price is $323.44. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 52-week low of $234.60 and a 52-week high of $606.36. The stock has a market capitalization of $322.89 billion, a PE ratio of 18.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 0.42. 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 (NYSE:UNH) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 28th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $2.92 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.87 by $0.05. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 4.04% and a return on equity of 19.23%. The business had revenue of $113.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $113.19 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $7.15 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 EPS for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 8th were given a dividend of $2.21 per share. This represents a $8.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 8th. UnitedHealth Group’s payout ratio is presently 46.14%.

UnitedHealth Group Profile

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.