Erste Group Bank Issues Optimistic Estimate for UNH Earnings

23 Oct 2026, 08:17 by Doug Wharley · The Cerbat Gem

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH – Free Report) – Equities researchers at Erste Group Bank boosted their FY2026 earnings per share estimates for UnitedHealth Group in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday, October 21st. Erste Group Bank analyst H. Engel now anticipates that the healthcare conglomerate will post earnings per share of $20.55 for the year, up from their previous estimate of $19.86. Erste Group Bank currently has a “Hold” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for UnitedHealth Group’s current full-year earnings is $20.64 per share. Erste Group Bank also issued estimates for UnitedHealth Group’s FY2027 earnings at $23.29 EPS.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 13th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $4.69 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.14 by $0.55. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 3.53% and a return on equity of 17.95%. The company had revenue of $112.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $111.31 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.59 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down .4% compared to the same quarter last year. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 20.500- EPS.

UNH has been the subject of several other research reports. DA Davidson set a $512.00 price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. Sanford C. Bernstein cut their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $512.00 to $500.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 14th. KeyCorp restated an “overweight” rating on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Wednesday, October 14th. HC Wainwright set a $500.00 target price on UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Friday, October 16th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded UnitedHealth Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, August 8th. Twenty analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, UnitedHealth Group presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $463.80.

Read Our Latest Stock Report on UNH

UnitedHealth Group Trading Up 2.0%

NYSE UNH opened at $425.29 on Friday. UnitedHealth Group has a one year low of $255.96 and a one year high of $461.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a current ratio of 0.74. The company has a market capitalization of $381.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 0.60. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $388.15 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $389.52.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On UnitedHealth Group

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. BlackRock Inc. boosted its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 4.6% in the 2nd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 76,863,061 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $31,946,594,000 after purchasing an additional 3,395,530 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its position in UnitedHealth Group by 0.7% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 45,633,267 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $18,966,555,000 after buying an additional 301,081 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 21.8% in the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 11,713,684 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $3,169,606,000 after acquiring an additional 2,097,859 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 6.1% during the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 10,704,994 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $4,449,317,000 after acquiring an additional 616,723 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP increased its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 5.8% during the second quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 10,675,175 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $4,436,923,000 after acquiring an additional 583,536 shares in the last quarter. 87.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at UnitedHealth Group

In related news, CEO Patrick Conway sold 1,169 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $390.00, for a total transaction of $455,910.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 15,328 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,977,920. This represents a 7.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.19% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 22nd. Investors of record on Monday, September 14th were paid a dividend of $2.32 per share. This represents a $9.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 14th. UnitedHealth Group’s payout ratio is 53.00%.

More UnitedHealth Group News

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

Positive Sentiment: Higher earnings estimates: Erste Group Bank raised its UnitedHealth EPS forecasts to $20.55 for fiscal 2026 from $19.86 and to $23.29 for fiscal 2027 from $22.51. The 2026 estimate is close to the $20.64 consensus, while the higher 2027 forecast signals confidence in continued earnings growth.
Positive Sentiment: Improved operating performance: Recent coverage highlighted a roughly 61% year-over-year increase in adjusted third-quarter EPS, management’s higher full-year outlook and an 88.4% medical care ratio. A lower ratio indicates that UnitedHealth is retaining more premium revenue after paying medical costs. UnitedHealth’s Earnings Jumped 60%. Is the Comeback Stock a Buy, Sell, or Hold?
Positive Sentiment: More bullish valuation support: Mizuho raised its price target on UNH to $500 from $493 and maintained an “outperform” rating, implying meaningful upside from the referenced $425.29 level. Mizuho UnitedHealth recommendations
Positive Sentiment: Operating leverage thesis: Analysts argue that efficiency gains and earnings growth could continue supporting the shares, while UnitedHealth’s Optum segment provides an additional earnings engine. UnitedHealth Group: Operating Leverage Should Continue Sending the Stock Higher
Neutral Sentiment: Investor interest is elevated: UNH has attracted substantial Zacks user and Wall Street attention, although an average “Buy” rating may already reflect much of the positive outlook. UnitedHealth Group is Attracting Investor Attention
Negative Sentiment: Cost and policy risks: UnitedHealth plans to raise 2027 Medicare costs for seniors. Medical inflation and Medicare funding pressure could weigh on margins across both insurance and Optum, while healthcare stocks also faced broader sector weakness. UnitedHealth Will Raise 2027 Medicare Costs for Seniors

UnitedHealth Group Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE: UNH) is a diversified health care company that provides health insurance coverage, health care services, pharmacy services and health technology. Its businesses serve individuals, employers, government programs, health care providers and other organizations, primarily in the United States.

The company operates through two principal businesses. UnitedHealthcare offers health benefit plans and related services for employers, individuals, families and government-sponsored programs, including Medicare and Medicaid.