Q1 EPS Estimate for UnitedHealth Group Raised by Analyst

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) – Analysts at Zacks Research lifted their Q1 2026 earnings per share estimates for shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note issued to investors on Thursday, March 6th. Zacks Research analyst D. Chatterjee now anticipates that the healthcare conglomerate will earn $7.42 per share for the quarter, up from their prior estimate of $7.24. The consensus estimate for UnitedHealth Group’s current full-year earnings is $29.54 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for UnitedHealth Group’s Q2 2026 earnings at $7.65 EPS.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 16th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.81 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.74 by $0.07. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 3.60% and a return on equity of 26.69%. The business had revenue of $100.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $101.60 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $5.83 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis.

Other equities analysts have also issued reports about the company. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating and set a $700.00 price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Truist Financial decreased their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $625.00 to $610.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Hsbc Global Res raised shares of UnitedHealth Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 10th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $595.00 to $625.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. Finally, Barclays lowered their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $655.00 to $642.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $629.32.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Performance

NYSE UNH opened at $486.54 on Monday. UnitedHealth Group has a 12-month low of $436.38 and a 12-month high of $630.73. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $512.82 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $552.00. The firm has a market cap of $445.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.39, a PEG ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 0.62.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in UNH. Anchor Pointe Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter valued at $223,000. Copia Wealth Management bought a new stake in UnitedHealth Group in the 4th quarter worth about $42,000. Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC bought a new position in UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $73,000. TFR Capital LLC. bought a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the fourth quarter worth approximately $2,750,000. Finally, Probity Advisors Inc. lifted its position in UnitedHealth Group by 45.2% during the fourth quarter. Probity Advisors Inc. now owns 848 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $429,000 after purchasing an additional 264 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 87.86% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at UnitedHealth Group

In other news, Director Timothy Patrick Flynn purchased 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 17th. The shares were bought at an average price of $511.57 per share, for a total transaction of $511,570.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 4,500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,302,065. This trade represents a 28.57 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 18th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be paid a dividend of $2.10 per share. This represents a $8.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.73%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. UnitedHealth Group’s dividend payout ratio is 54.19%.

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.