Cooke & Bieler LP Boosts Holdings in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH

Cooke & Bieler LP increased its holdings in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 15.3% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 364,424 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after purchasing an additional 48,345 shares during the period. UnitedHealth Group makes up about 1.3% of Cooke & Bieler LP’s holdings, making the stock its 28th biggest holding. Cooke & Bieler LP’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $125,836,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA bought a new position in UnitedHealth Group during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Sagard Holdings Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the second quarter worth approximately $29,000. Islay Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in UnitedHealth Group during the 2nd quarter valued at $31,000. Grey Fox Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in UnitedHealth Group in the 3rd quarter worth $33,000. Finally, Riggs Asset Managment Co. Inc. raised its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 69.4% during the second quarter. Riggs Asset Managment Co. Inc. now owns 105 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. 87.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting 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 Trading Up 0.6%

NYSE:UNH opened at $356.46 on Monday. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $332.07 and its 200 day simple moving average is $323.59. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a one year low of $234.60 and a one year high of $606.36. The firm has a market capitalization of $322.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.60, a PEG ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.82.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 28th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $2.92 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.87 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $113.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $113.19 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 19.23% and a net margin of 4.04%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $7.15 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 EPS for the current fiscal 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 paid a dividend of $2.21 per share. This represents a $8.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 8th. UnitedHealth Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 46.14%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $286.00 to $408.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. KeyCorp raised their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $350.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $350.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $386.00 to $391.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $386.33.

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.