UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) has been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the twenty-nine ratings firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, nine have given a hold recommendation, seventeen have given a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $375.4583.

Several research firms have recently issued reports on UNH. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $425.00 to $389.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday. KeyCorp restated an “overweight” rating on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $411.00 to $409.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut UnitedHealth Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $333.00 price objective on the stock. in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $400.00 to $370.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 30th.

Trending Headlines about UnitedHealth Group

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

• Positive Sentiment: Bernstein reiterated an Outperform rating and a $405 price target, arguing UNH remains high‑quality and can weather Medicare volatility — a supportive institutional view for the stock. Bernstein Reiterates Outperform on UnitedHealth
• Positive Sentiment: Buy‑the‑dip arguments surfaced: analysts and commentators point to strong cash flows, Optum’s AI efficiency plans, insider buying and a long‑term growth target from management as reasons the recent selloff may be overdone. UnitedHealth: Buy The Dip
• Positive Sentiment: Bull case pieces reiterate durable competitive advantages (Optum, scale in Medicare Advantage) that could support a recovery if policy headwinds moderate. UnitedHealth Bull Case Theory
• Neutral Sentiment: Wall Street still shows many buy/overweight ratings and a median price target well above current levels (around $390), creating a technical floor if sentiment stabilizes. Quiver Quantitative Commentary
• Neutral Sentiment: Corporate personnel note — Optum/UNH executive Terry Clark was appointed CEO at the PGA of America; largely background news but worth noting senior exec visibility. Terry Clark Appointed CEO at PGA of America
• Negative Sentiment: Immediate trigger — CMS’s advance Medicare rate notice (near‑flat 0.09% growth) spooked investors because it implies constrained reimbursement for Medicare Advantage in 2027, pressuring UNH’s margin outlook and precipitating heavy selling. CMS Medicare Rate Notice Fallout
• Negative Sentiment: Operational concerns: Q4 revenue slightly missed estimates and the medical care ratio rose, and management signaled shedding lower‑margin Medicare members to protect profitability — raising near‑term growth/guidance uncertainty. Is It Time To Reassess UnitedHealth?
• Negative Sentiment: Broker and market skepticism: Truist and other outlets trimmed outlooks or voiced caution, amplifying short‑term bearish pressure amid regulatory risk and margin uncertainty. Truist Issues Pessimistic Forecast

UnitedHealth Group Stock Performance

UnitedHealth Group stock opened at $275.70 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $249.74 billion, a PE ratio of 20.90, a P/E/G ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 0.41. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $328.16 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $323.39. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. UnitedHealth Group has a twelve month low of $234.60 and a twelve month high of $606.36.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 27th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $2.11 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.09 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $113.22 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $113.38 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 14.79% and a net margin of 2.69%.The business’s revenue was up 12.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $6.81 earnings per share. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.750- EPS. Research analysts expect that UnitedHealth Group will post 29.54 EPS for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 16th. Investors of record on Monday, December 8th were given a dividend of $2.21 per share. This represents a $8.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 8th. UnitedHealth Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 67.02%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On UnitedHealth Group

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 91,600,260 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $30,238,162,000 after purchasing an additional 995,210 shares in the last quarter. Capital World Investors increased its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 18.8% during the third quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 21,766,922 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $7,516,107,000 after acquiring an additional 3,439,182 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in UnitedHealth Group by 3.3% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 21,312,182 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $6,624,411,000 after acquiring an additional 675,075 shares in the last quarter. Capital International Investors increased its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 11.1% in the 3rd quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 17,499,949 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $6,042,710,000 after purchasing an additional 1,747,337 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capital Research Global Investors lifted its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 126.9% during the third quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 13,042,049 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $4,503,419,000 after purchasing an additional 7,293,009 shares in the last quarter. 87.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

UnitedHealth Group Company 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.