FY2024 Earnings Estimate for UnitedHealth Group Incorporated Issued By Zacks Research (NYSE:UNH)

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) – Analysts at Zacks Research lifted their FY2024 earnings estimates for shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report issued on Tuesday, July 30th. Zacks Research analyst D. Chatterjee now expects that the healthcare conglomerate will post earnings of $27.62 per share for the year, up from their prior forecast of $27.50. The consensus estimate for UnitedHealth Group’s current full-year earnings is $27.69 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for UnitedHealth Group’s Q2 2025 earnings at $7.38 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $31.21 EPS, Q1 2026 earnings at $8.23 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $8.60 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $35.27 EPS.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 16th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.80 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.66 by $0.14. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 26.55% and a net margin of 3.66%. The business had revenue of $98.86 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $98.73 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $6.14 earnings per share. UnitedHealth Group’s quarterly revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis.

Other analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of UnitedHealth Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 19th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $595.00 to $615.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $545.00 to $562.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 19th. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $597.00 to $640.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 17th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $525.00 to $630.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $614.17.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Up 3.0 %

UnitedHealth Group stock opened at $589.83 on Friday. UnitedHealth Group has a 52-week low of $436.38 and a 52-week high of $591.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 0.88. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $514.72 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $503.15. The firm has a market cap of $542.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.05, a PEG ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.59.

UnitedHealth Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 25th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 17th were paid a $2.10 dividend. This represents a $8.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.42%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 17th. This is a boost from UnitedHealth Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.88. UnitedHealth Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 51.34%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Erin Mcsweeney sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $579.03, for a total transaction of $868,545.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 7,785 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,507,748.55. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In related news, CAO Thomas E. Roos sold 2,851 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $569.88, for a total value of $1,624,727.88. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 29,501 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,812,029.88. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Erin Mcsweeney sold 1,500 shares of UnitedHealth Group stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $579.03, for a total transaction of $868,545.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 7,785 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,507,748.55. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.33% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On UnitedHealth Group

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Macroview Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 671.4% during the 2nd quarter. Macroview Investment Management LLC now owns 54 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 47 shares during the last quarter. Delos Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 757.1% during the 1st quarter. Delos Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 60 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC purchased a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the 4th quarter worth $31,000. Bbjs Financial Advisors LLC bought a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the second quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, Signature Resources Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 40.0% during the 2nd quarter. Signature Resources Capital Management LLC now owns 63 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares during the period. 87.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About UnitedHealth Group

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated operates as a diversified health care company in the United States. The company operates through four segments: UnitedHealthcare, Optum Health, Optum Insight, and Optum Rx. The UnitedHealthcare segment offers consumer-oriented health benefit plans and services for national employers, public sector employers, mid-sized employers, small businesses, and individuals; health care coverage, and health and well-being services to individuals age 50 and older addressing their needs; Medicaid plans, children's health insurance and health care programs; and health and dental benefits, and hospital and clinical services, as well as health care benefits products and services to state programs caring for the economically disadvantaged, medically underserved, and those without the benefit of employer-funded health care coverage.