Erste Group Bank Issues Optimistic Estimate for UNH Earnings

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) – Erste Group Bank upped their FY2027 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report released on Tuesday, March 24th. Erste Group Bank analyst H. Engel now anticipates that the healthcare conglomerate will post earnings per share of $19.77 for the year, up from their previous forecast of $19.71. The consensus estimate for UnitedHealth Group’s current full-year earnings is $29.54 per share.

Several other research analysts have also recently weighed in on UNH. Mizuho decreased their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $430.00 to $350.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 5th. UBS Group decreased their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $430.00 to $410.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $400.00 to $370.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $418.00 to $340.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, Oppenheimer cut their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $415.00 to $385.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $372.13.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Performance

UnitedHealth Group stock opened at $267.69 on Thursday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $291.83 and its 200 day simple moving average is $323.04. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. UnitedHealth Group has a 1-year low of $234.60 and a 1-year high of $606.36. The firm has a market capitalization of $242.97 billion, a PE ratio of 20.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 0.41.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 14.79% and a net margin of 2.69%.The firm had revenue of $113.73 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $113.38 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $6.81 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 12.3% on a year-over-year basis. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.750- EPS.

Institutional Trading of UnitedHealth Group

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of UNH. Guerra Advisors Inc bought a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,059,000. Berkshire Hathaway Inc purchased a new stake in UnitedHealth Group in the second quarter worth $1,572,193,000. Carnegie Investment Counsel lifted its position in UnitedHealth Group by 2.2% during the third 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 period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 48.9% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 5,790 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $1,806,000 after buying an additional 1,901 shares during the period. Finally, Phoenix Financial Ltd. increased its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 111.5% in the 3rd quarter. Phoenix Financial Ltd. now owns 41,986 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $14,282,000 after acquiring an additional 22,137 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.86% of the company’s stock.

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 9th were issued a $2.21 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 9th. This represents a $8.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.3%. UnitedHealth Group’s payout ratio is currently 67.02%.

More UnitedHealth Group News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Erste Group slightly raised its FY2027 EPS forecast for UNH (from $19.71 to $19.77), a modest upward revision that signals continued confidence in underlying earnings momentum even if it’s small versus street consensus; supports the company’s earnings outlook. Erste Group raises FY2027 EPS estimate
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks flags UNH as a trending stock among its users, highlighting investor attention and notable search interest — increased attention can amplify moves but doesn’t by itself change fundamentals. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (UNH) Is a Trending Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: A broader piece on mega-cap stocks includes UNH as a large, influential healthcare name with solid fundamentals but limited upside from scale; this frames expectations that UNH may deliver steady returns rather than explosive growth. 1 Mega-Cap Stock with Exciting Potential and 2 We Question
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation coverage after recent share weakness highlights that UNH’s stock has pulled back and analysts/investors are re-checking fair value — increased debate over valuation can sustain selling pressure as investors reassess multiples relative to growth. UnitedHealth Group (UNH) Valuation Check After Recent Weak Share Performance

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.