UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) have earned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-eight analysts that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, seventeen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $372.1250.

UNH has been the topic of several recent research reports. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $391.00 to $327.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Mizuho lowered their target price 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. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $411.00 to $409.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Oppenheimer dropped their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $415.00 to $385.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut UnitedHealth Group from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a report on Monday, March 2nd.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Performance

NYSE UNH opened at $267.69 on Friday. UnitedHealth Group has a 1-year low of $234.60 and a 1-year high of $606.36. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $291.83 and a two-hundred day moving average of $323.04. The company has a market cap of $242.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.29, a P/E/G ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.79.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 27th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $2.11 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.09 by $0.02. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 2.69% and a return on equity of 14.79%. The company had revenue of $113.73 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $113.38 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $6.81 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 12.3% compared to the same quarter last year. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.750- EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that UnitedHealth Group will post 29.54 EPS for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 9th were paid a $2.21 dividend. This represents a $8.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 9th. UnitedHealth Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 67.02%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in UNH. Sarver Vrooman Wealth Advisors purchased a new stake in UnitedHealth Group during the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Beacon Financial Strategies CORP purchased a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Anfield Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 220.0% in the fourth quarter. Anfield Capital Management LLC now owns 80 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the period. Joseph Group Capital Management purchased a new stake in UnitedHealth Group during the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Finally, Nalls Sherbakoff Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.