Arizona State Retirement System Cuts Stock Holdings in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH

Arizona State Retirement System trimmed its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 0.9% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 264,963 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after selling 2,446 shares during the period. UnitedHealth Group makes up about 0.5% of Arizona State Retirement System’s holdings, making the stock its 27th biggest holding. Arizona State Retirement System’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $91,492,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Berkshire Hathaway Inc purchased a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the second quarter valued at approximately $1,572,193,000. Murphy Pohlad Asset Management LLC increased its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 21.8% during the 2nd quarter. Murphy Pohlad Asset Management LLC now owns 4,425 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $1,380,000 after buying an additional 791 shares during the period. Carnegie Investment Counsel boosted its position in UnitedHealth Group by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. Carnegie Investment Counsel now owns 105,621 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $36,471,000 after buying an additional 2,316 shares during the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc increased its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 20.7% during the second quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 20,683 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $6,462,000 after acquiring an additional 3,545 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Phoenix Financial Ltd. boosted its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 111.5% in the third quarter. Phoenix Financial Ltd. now owns 41,986 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $14,282,000 after purchasing an additional 22,137 shares during the last quarter. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have issued reports on UNH. TD Cowen upped their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $335.00 to $338.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Zacks Research raised shares of UnitedHealth Group from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, October 6th. Bank of America increased their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $350.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Barclays boosted their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $386.00 to $391.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $408.00 to $361.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $380.67.

Trending Headlines about UnitedHealth Group

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

• Positive Sentiment: Market and analyst support — Several firms kept buy/overweight ratings or reiterated long-term confidence after the Q4 release, arguing the sell-off may be overdone and highlighting UnitedHealth’s underlying margin initiatives and long-term fundamentals. UnitedHealth Q4 Earnings Review: The Selloff Looks Overdone After Results
• Positive Sentiment: Short-term rebound in ETFs — Healthcare ETFs and related funds moved as UNH bounced (~4% at one point) on a mixed Q4 print plus commentary that 2026 cost trends could improve, which likely supported intraday buying from funds and momentum traders. Healthcare ETFs in Focus as UnitedHealth Rises 4% Post Mixed Q4 Results
• Neutral Sentiment: Modest analyst target tweaks — Morgan Stanley trimmed its price target slightly to $409 but kept an Overweight rating, signaling stabilized expectations rather than a wholesale shift in conviction. This is a modest signal versus outright downgrades. UnitedHealth (UNH) Sees Modest Target Cut at Morgan Stanley as Outlook Stabilizes
• Negative Sentiment: Large put-option activity — Unusually high put buying (376,697 contracts, +131% vs. typical volume) indicates elevated downside hedging or speculative bearish positioning, increasing near-term downside pressure on the stock.
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst price-target cuts — Multiple firms reduced targets (examples: Jefferies to $340, Leerink to $345, Oppenheimer to $385, RBC to $361, UBS trimmed targets), which amplifies pessimism around near-term earnings/guidance and contributes to downward momentum.
• Negative Sentiment: Guidance & Medicare payment shock — The main catalyst for the rout was a cautious FY2026 outlook and disappointing Medicare Advantage payment updates; investors marked the company down sharply on lower-than-expected forward cash/earnings visibility. UnitedHealth (UNH) Loses 19.6% on Weak Outlook, Medicare Payment Update
• Negative Sentiment: Political stock sales & market-cap hit — Reports of politicians selling UNH before the crash and headlines about a $50–99 billion market-cap loss have heightened scrutiny and negative sentiment, which can prolong volatility. These 3 U.S. politicians suspiciously dumped UnitedHealth stock weeks before crash
• Negative Sentiment: Bearish commentary and “trap” warnings — Multiple op-eds and analyst notes argue the recovery may take time or that buying the dip could be a trap; that negative narrative is pressuring demand for the stock in the near term. UnitedHealth: Buying The Dip Could Be A Trap

UnitedHealth Group Stock Down 0.6%

Shares of UnitedHealth Group stock opened at $292.20 on Friday. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a twelve month low of $234.60 and a twelve month high of $606.36. The stock has a market capitalization of $264.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.15, a PEG ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $331.39 and its 200-day simple moving average is $323.38.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $2.11 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.09 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $113.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $113.38 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 14.79% and a net margin of 2.69%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $6.81 earnings per share. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.750- EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 earnings per share for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 8th were issued a dividend of $2.21 per share. This represents a $8.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 8th. UnitedHealth Group’s payout ratio is 67.02%.

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.