UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) Rating Increased to Buy at Erste Group Bank

Erste Group Bank upgraded shares of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report issued on Monday morning, MarketBeat Ratings reports.

UNH has been the topic of several other reports. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $278.00 to $287.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $340.00 to $373.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Truist Financial reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $395.00 target price (up from $370.00) on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. HSBC raised shares of UnitedHealth Group from a “reduce” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $300.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $370.00 to $397.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have given a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, UnitedHealth Group has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $377.64.

UnitedHealth Group Trading Down 0.1%

UNH stock opened at $354.64 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 0.80. UnitedHealth Group has a one year low of $234.60 and a one year high of $424.12. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $294.63 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $316.54. The company has a market capitalization of $322.09 billion, a PE ratio of 26.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 0.40.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The healthcare conglomerate reported $7.23 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.76 by $0.47. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 2.68% and a return on equity of 14.65%. The company had revenue of $111.65 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $109.84 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $7.20 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 18.250- EPS. As a group, analysts predict that UnitedHealth Group will post 18.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 17th. Investors 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 yield of 2.5%. UnitedHealth Group’s payout ratio is 66.77%.

Insider Activity at UnitedHealth Group

In other news, CEO Patrick Hugh Conway sold 800 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $355.00, for a total transaction of $284,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 17,805 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,320,775. The trade was a 4.30% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of UnitedHealth Group

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Axis Wealth Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 1.7% in the third quarter. Axis Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,631 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $563,000 after acquiring an additional 28 shares during the last quarter. Kellett Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Kellett Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,746 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $576,000 after acquiring an additional 29 shares during the last quarter. Founders Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 3.0% during the fourth quarter. Founders Capital Management LLC now owns 982 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $324,000 after buying an additional 29 shares during the last quarter. Cooper Financial Group boosted its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Cooper Financial Group now owns 4,338 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $1,432,000 after buying an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Successful Portfolios LLC boosted its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. Successful Portfolios LLC now owns 1,194 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $411,000 after buying an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.86% of the company’s stock.

More UnitedHealth Group News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results and outlook beat expectations — UnitedHealth reported stronger‑than‑expected Q1 revenue and EPS and raised FY guidance (management highlighted margin improvement and Medicare tailwinds), underpinning the recovery thesis. UnitedHealth: Solid Renewal Cadence With 2027 Tailwinds
• Positive Sentiment: Goldman Sachs raised its target on UNH, calling out ETFs (like IHF) as ways to play the sector while softening Medicaid risks — a visible analyst upgrade that can attract investor inflows. Goldman Sachs Lifts UnitedHealth Target Price: Healthcare ETFs to Watch
• Positive Sentiment: Erste Group upgraded UNH from Hold to Buy — another vote of confidence from the sell‑side that can support buying interest. Finviz (Erste upgrade)
• Positive Sentiment: High‑profile media support — Jim Cramer publicly said UNH “deserves to be much higher,” which can spur retail buying and sentiment momentum. Jim Cramer on UnitedHealth
• Neutral Sentiment: Operational initiative — UnitedHealth is expanding electronic prior authorization to reduce manual steps and speed approvals (could lower provider friction and administrative costs over time). UnitedHealth Prior Authorization Expansion Meets Mixed Returns And Valuation Upside
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst target dispersion — several firms have recently adjusted targets (mixed: some big raises, some conservative holds), leaving the consensus elevated but with variance that can cause trading volatility. QuiverQuant UNH opinions
• Negative Sentiment: Insider sale — CEO Patrick Conway sold 800 shares at about $355 on April 23 (filed on Form 4). While modest in size, insider selling can be perceived negatively by some investors. SEC Form 4 (CEO sale)

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.