UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) Price Target Raised to $373.00 at Jefferies Financial Group

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) had its target price raised by Jefferies Financial Group from $340.00 to $373.00 in a research report sent to investors on Monday,Benzinga reports. Jefferies Financial Group currently has a buy rating on the healthcare conglomerate’s stock.

A number of other equities analysts have also commented on the stock. HSBC raised shares of UnitedHealth Group from a “reduce” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $300.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. 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. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $408.00 to $361.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $391.00 to $327.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Evercore raised shares of UnitedHealth Group to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have given a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $364.79.

UnitedHealth Group Trading Down 0.4%

Shares of NYSE:UNH opened at $323.44 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $293.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.52, a PEG ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 0.40. UnitedHealth Group has a 1-year low of $234.60 and a 1-year high of $453.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 0.79. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $287.80 and a 200 day moving average price of $316.94.

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 analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.09 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $113.73 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $113.38 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 2.69% and a return on equity of 14.79%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $6.81 earnings per share. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.750- EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that UnitedHealth Group will post 17.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 9th were paid 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 dividend yield of 2.7%. UnitedHealth Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 67.02%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On UnitedHealth Group

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter valued at $4,376,167,000. Capital Research Global Investors raised its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 126.9% during the 3rd 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. Capital World Investors raised its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 18.8% during the 3rd quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 21,766,922 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $7,516,107,000 after purchasing an additional 3,439,182 shares in the last quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 141.9% during the 4th quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,109,029 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $1,356,432,000 after purchasing an additional 2,410,128 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cardano Risk Management B.V. raised its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 864.4% during the 4th quarter. Cardano Risk Management B.V. now owns 2,523,700 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $833,099,000 after purchasing an additional 2,262,006 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.86% of the company’s stock.

UnitedHealth Group News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Jefferies raised its price target to $373 and kept a Buy rating, signaling greater upside from a turnaround in margins and supporting investor confidence. Jefferies Raises UNH Price Target
• Positive Sentiment: UnitedHealthcare announced it will eliminate most prior authorizations for rural providers and accelerate payments to many rural hospitals — a move that should reduce provider friction, improve access, and generate positive PR and potential cost efficiencies. UnitedHealthcare Eliminates Most Medical Prior Authorizations (Business Wire)
• Positive Sentiment: Forbes coverage of the prior-authorization change highlights expanded access in rural America — reinforcing the operational narrative that management is simplifying care and lowering administrative drag. UnitedHealthcare Reducing Need For Prior Approvals (Forbes)
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst and media bullishness (Seeking Alpha preview / social chatter) frame UNH as a turnaround play if Optum restructuring and CMS rate clarity translate into margin recovery — supporting longer-term upside. UnitedHealth Q1 Earnings Preview (Seeking Alpha)
• Positive Sentiment: Jim Cramer publicly expects strong results, which can boost short-term investor sentiment and trading interest ahead of the report. Jim Cramer Expects Strong Earnings (InsiderMonkey)
• Neutral Sentiment: General market context and catalysts for the day (macro headlines and earnings calendar) may influence UNH alongside sector moves rather than company-specific news. 5 Things to Know Before the Market Opens (Investopedia)
• Neutral Sentiment: Pre-earnings previews outline key Q1 items to watch (revenue, Optum margins, membership trends); these set expectations but are not yet definitive. What To Expect From UNH Q1 (Yahoo)
• Negative Sentiment: Yahoo reports UnitedHealth could face roughly a $6 billion Medicare hit tied to payment changes — a material near-term profit headwind that amplifies investor concern about Optum margins. UnitedHealth Faces $6 Billion Medicare Hit (Yahoo)
• Negative Sentiment: Some analyst models (Benzinga recap) expect lower Q1 earnings, increasing the risk of an earnings miss that could trigger a near-term sell-off if guidance disappoints. UNH Likely To Report Lower Q1 Earnings (Benzinga)

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.