UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) Given New $411.00 Price Target at Sanford C. Bernstein

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) had its price target boosted by Sanford C. Bernstein from $405.00 to $411.00 in a research report sent to investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. They currently have an outperform rating on the healthcare conglomerate’s stock.

Several other brokerages have also recently commented on UNH. Mizuho decreased their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $430.00 to $350.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $400.00 to $370.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Leerink Partners decreased their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $410.00 to $345.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $425.00 to $389.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, UBS Group decreased their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $430.00 to $410.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have given a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $363.42.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Up 9.3%

NYSE:UNH opened at $307.55 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $279.16 billion, a PE ratio of 23.32, a P/E/G ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 0.40. UnitedHealth Group has a twelve month low of $234.60 and a twelve month high of $606.36. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. The company’s 50 day moving average is $282.12 and its two-hundred day moving average is $319.04.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last released 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 company had revenue of $113.73 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $113.38 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 2.69% and a return on equity of 14.79%. UnitedHealth Group’s revenue was up 12.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $6.81 EPS. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.750- EPS. Analysts anticipate that UnitedHealth Group will post 29.54 EPS for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 9th were issued a dividend of $2.21 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 9th. This represents a $8.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.9%. UnitedHealth Group’s dividend payout ratio is 67.02%.

Institutional Trading of UnitedHealth Group

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Sarver Vrooman Wealth Advisors purchased a new stake in UnitedHealth Group during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Beacon Financial Strategies CORP acquired a new position in UnitedHealth Group during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Anfield Capital Management LLC raised its position in UnitedHealth Group by 220.0% during the fourth quarter. Anfield Capital Management LLC now owns 80 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the period. Joseph Group Capital Management acquired a new position in UnitedHealth Group during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Finally, Nalls Sherbakoff Group LLC acquired a new position in UnitedHealth Group during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. 87.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

UnitedHealth Group News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: CMS finalized a larger-than-expected 2027 Medicare Advantage payment increase (net average +2.48%), meaningfully above January’s proposal and street expectations — the decision injects roughly $13B+ into the MA program and is the main catalyst for today’s rally. Trump administration finalizes better-than-feared Medicare Advantage payment rate in boost to health insurers
• Positive Sentiment: Brokerages moved to capitalize on the policy tailwind: Sanford C. Bernstein and others raised price targets and ratings, and Bank of America boosted its PT — analyst upward revisions help sustain the rally by signaling higher modeled earnings and margin recovery. Sanford C. Bernstein price target update
• Positive Sentiment: Sector-wide lift — other insurers (Humana, Centene, Oscar Health) rose on the same CMS decision, reinforcing that UnitedHealth benefits from industry-level tailwinds (scale and MA exposure). UnitedHealth and other insurer stocks jump after Medicare agrees to lift payments next year
• Neutral Sentiment: Macro/market context is mixed — broader US indexes showed mixed action Tuesday (oil lower, geopolitics impacting sentiment), so some of UNH’s move is idiosyncratic to healthcare rather than a broad market rally. US Equity Markets Mixed Amid Lower Crude Oil Price, Diminishing Hopes of Iran Ceasefire Deal
• Negative Sentiment: Risks remain — elevated medical cost pressures, previous guidance weakness and an upcoming Q1 report (April 21) could reintroduce volatility if results or forward commentary disappoint; the policy boost reduces but does not eliminate these operational risks. UnitedHealth Q1 Earnings Preview

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.