UnitedHealth Group Sees Unusually Large Options Volume (NYSE:UNH)

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) was the recipient of some unusual options trading on Thursday. Stock traders acquired 376,697 put options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 131% compared to the typical daily volume of 163,128 put options.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On UnitedHealth Group

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA bought a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Beacon Financial Strategies CORP purchased a new position in UnitedHealth Group during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Sagard Holdings Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the second quarter valued at $29,000. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 69.4% during the 3rd quarter. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC now owns 83 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the period. Finally, 1248 Management LLC bought a new stake in UnitedHealth Group in the third quarter worth about $29,000. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting UnitedHealth Group

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

• Positive Sentiment: Market and analyst support — Several firms kept buy/overweight ratings or reiterated long-term confidence after the Q4 release, arguing the sell-off may be overdone and highlighting UnitedHealth’s underlying margin initiatives and long-term fundamentals. UnitedHealth Q4 Earnings Review: The Selloff Looks Overdone After Results
• Positive Sentiment: Short-term rebound in ETFs — Healthcare ETFs and related funds moved as UNH bounced (~4% at one point) on a mixed Q4 print plus commentary that 2026 cost trends could improve, which likely supported intraday buying from funds and momentum traders. Healthcare ETFs in Focus as UnitedHealth Rises 4% Post Mixed Q4 Results
• Neutral Sentiment: Modest analyst target tweaks — Morgan Stanley trimmed its price target slightly to $409 but kept an Overweight rating, signaling stabilized expectations rather than a wholesale shift in conviction. This is a modest signal versus outright downgrades. UnitedHealth (UNH) Sees Modest Target Cut at Morgan Stanley as Outlook Stabilizes
• Negative Sentiment: Large put-option activity — Unusually high put buying (376,697 contracts, +131% vs. typical volume) indicates elevated downside hedging or speculative bearish positioning, increasing near-term downside pressure on the stock.
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst price-target cuts — Multiple firms reduced targets (examples: Jefferies to $340, Leerink to $345, Oppenheimer to $385, RBC to $361, UBS trimmed targets), which amplifies pessimism around near-term earnings/guidance and contributes to downward momentum.
• Negative Sentiment: Guidance & Medicare payment shock — The main catalyst for the rout was a cautious FY2026 outlook and disappointing Medicare Advantage payment updates; investors marked the company down sharply on lower-than-expected forward cash/earnings visibility. UnitedHealth (UNH) Loses 19.6% on Weak Outlook, Medicare Payment Update
• Negative Sentiment: Political stock sales & market-cap hit — Reports of politicians selling UNH before the crash and headlines about a $50–99 billion market-cap loss have heightened scrutiny and negative sentiment, which can prolong volatility. These 3 U.S. politicians suspiciously dumped UnitedHealth stock weeks before crash
• Negative Sentiment: Bearish commentary and “trap” warnings — Multiple op-eds and analyst notes argue the recovery may take time or that buying the dip could be a trap; that negative narrative is pressuring demand for the stock in the near term. UnitedHealth: Buying The Dip Could Be A Trap

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Tuesday, October 14th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $406.00 target price on the stock. TD Cowen raised their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $335.00 to $338.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Tuesday. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $408.00 to $361.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein restated an “outperform” rating on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Wednesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $380.67.

UnitedHealth Group Trading Down 0.6%

UNH opened at $292.20 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $264.69 billion, a PE ratio of 22.15, a PEG ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 0.42. The business has a 50 day moving average of $331.39 and a 200-day moving average of $323.38. UnitedHealth Group has a 52 week low of $234.60 and a 52 week high of $606.36. 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 (NYSE:UNH) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $2.11 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 $113.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $113.38 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $6.81 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.3% compared to the same quarter last year. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.750- EPS. Equities research analysts predict that UnitedHealth Group will post 29.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 8th were paid a dividend of $2.21 per share. This represents a $8.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 8th. UnitedHealth Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 67.02%.

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.