UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) Stock Rating Upgraded by Raymond James Financial

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) was upgraded by research analysts at Raymond James Financial from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a report released on Wednesday, Marketbeat.com reports. The brokerage presently has a $330.00 target price on the healthcare conglomerate’s stock. Raymond James Financial’s price target would indicate a potential upside of 19.00% from the company’s current price.

UNH has been the topic of a number of other research reports. UBS Group dropped their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $430.00 to $410.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $411.00 to $409.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Truist Financial lowered their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $410.00 to $370.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $400.00 to $370.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 30th. One investment 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 given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, UnitedHealth Group presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $363.38.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Performance

UNH stock opened at $277.30 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $251.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 0.40. 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 has a 1 year low of $234.60 and a 1 year high of $606.36. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $284.61 and its 200-day moving average price is $320.40.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $2.11 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 return on equity of 14.79% and a net margin of 2.69%.UnitedHealth Group’s revenue was up 12.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $6.81 earnings per share. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.750- EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that UnitedHealth Group will post 29.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of UnitedHealth Group

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 91,600,260 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $30,238,162,000 after purchasing an additional 995,210 shares during the period. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 45,232,170 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $14,931,592,000 after buying an additional 1,119,834 shares in the last quarter. Capital World Investors grew its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 3.8% during the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 22,591,042 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $7,457,723,000 after acquiring an additional 824,120 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 3.7% in the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 18,829,054 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $6,215,660,000 after purchasing an additional 680,077 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capital International Investors grew its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 6.6% during the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 18,655,111 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $6,158,734,000 after purchasing an additional 1,155,162 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.86% of the company’s stock.

Key UnitedHealth Group News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Raymond James upgraded UNH to Outperform and set a $330 target, citing greater-than-expected expense/margin upside (particularly at Optum Health) and potential earnings upside over the next few years. Why Raymond James Says Wall Street Is Underestimating UnitedHealth’s Earnings Power
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks highlights UnitedHealth’s strong earnings‑surprise history and says the company has the setup to beat estimates again, supporting near‑term upside if execution continues. Will UnitedHealth (UNH) Beat Estimates Again?
• Positive Sentiment: Contrarian analysts and coverage (e.g., Investopedia) argue the sharp multi-quarter pullback has created a buying opportunity, noting attractive forward multiples and potential for a rebound. That narrative is drawing value‑focused buyers. UnitedHealth Stock: This Analyst Says It’s Time to Buy
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst coverage is mixed but tilted positive: multiple firms maintain buy/outperform ratings and median price targets remain well above the current price (median ~$385), while institutional rebalancing has produced both large buys and large sells. UNH Opinions on Plunge Below Buffett Purchase Price
• Negative Sentiment: Leerink warns UNH faces its largest RADV (risk‑adjustment) audit exposure, a regulatory/audit risk that could pressure future margins and create earnings uncertainty. Leerink Sees Largest RADV Audit Exposure
• Negative Sentiment: Market chatter and coverage note sizable YTD declines and regulatory/Medicare rate worries; social media and fund flows highlight investor concern after shares fell below high‑profile purchase levels, keeping volatility high. Is UnitedHealth Now A Potential Opportunity?

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.