<div id="readability-page-1">Beech Hill Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 44.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 10,470 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after acquiring an additional 3,243 shares during the quarter. UnitedHealth Group accounts for approximately 1.7% of Beech Hill Advisors Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 21st biggest holding. Beech Hill Advisors Inc.'s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $3,615,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.<ul><li>The Top 3 Investment Themes That Will Dominate 2026</li></ul>A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA bought a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the 2nd quarter worth $25,000. Bayforest Capital Ltd lifted its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 685.7% during the 1st quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd now owns 55 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Sagard Holdings Management Inc. purchased a new stake in UnitedHealth Group in the 2nd quarter worth about $29,000. Islay Capital Management LLC bought a new position in UnitedHealth Group during the second quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Riggs Asset Managment Co. Inc. lifted its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 69.4% during the second quarter. Riggs Asset Managment Co. Inc. now owns 105 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.86% of the company's stock. <div>Get UnitedHealth Group alerts:</div><h2>Key Stores Impacting UnitedHealth Group</h2>Here are the key news stories impacting UnitedHealth Group this week:<ul> <li>Positive Sentiment: UnitedHealth published external reviews and made previously internal audit findings public as part of a transparency push — a governance move that could restore stakeholder trust over time and reduce regulatory risk. UnitedHealth Published External Reviews as Part of Transparency Push</li> <li>Positive Sentiment: Management released 23 action plans from an independent audit and committed to complete implementation by end of March, showing a clear remediation timeline that investors can monitor. This reduces execution uncertainty if plans are delivered. UnitedHealth Group commits to improvements after independent audit, patient backlash</li> <li>Positive Sentiment: Analysts and outlets are pitching UNH as an attractive dividend/long-term buy for 2026 given scale and cash flow, which could draw income-focused buyers despite near-term volatility. Is UnitedHealth the Single Best Dividend Stock to Buy for 2026?</li> <li>Neutral Sentiment: Reuters reports the company will standardize and automate processes in its health services and pharmacy units — likely to improve efficiency long term but may cause near-term implementation costs. UnitedHealth pledges operational changes after external audits</li> <li>Neutral Sentiment: Coverage is reframing UNH’s trajectory as “back to basics” for 2026 and re-evaluating valuation after a steep multi-quarter decline — helpful context but not immediate catalysts. How UnitedHealth will be getting 'back to basics' in 2026</li> <li>Neutral Sentiment: Analyst writeups and comparison pieces (e.g., UNH vs. Eli Lilly) are prompting renewed investor debate on whether UNH’s pullback creates a buying opportunity or signals deeper secular concerns. Better Buy in 2026: UnitedHealth Group or Eli Lilly?</li> <li>Neutral Sentiment: Recent Chinese-language market updates and stock-commentary pieces summarize analyst views and outlooks ahead of year-end — useful for sentiment tracking but not new catalysts. UnitedHealth Group (UNH) Stock Update: Insights and Analyst Predictions Ahead of December 18, 2025 UNH Stock's Transition From Stability To Growth</li> <li>Negative Sentiment: Patient backlash and the breadth of issues revealed by audits have hurt sentiment and could invite closer regulatory scrutiny or legal risk, pressuring the stock near term. UnitedHealth Group commits to improvements after independent audit, patient backlash</li> <li>Negative Sentiment: UNH has endured a steep 2025 drawdown (~35% YTD), prompting valuation re‑ratings and increased volatility — a macro reason some investors are selling rather than buying the remediation story. Is UnitedHealth the Single Best Dividend Stock to Buy for 2026?</li> </ul><h2>Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades</h2><ul><li>5 Healthcare Names to Watch as Sector Rotation Is in Full Swing</li></ul>UNH has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded shares of UnitedHealth Group from a &#34;buy&#34; rating to a &#34;hold&#34; rating and set a $333.00 price objective for the company. in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $286.00 to $408.00 and gave the company an &#34;outperform&#34; rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. KeyCorp raised their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $350.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock an &#34;overweight&#34; rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $325.00 to $395.00 and gave the stock an &#34;overweight&#34; rating in a research report on Friday, September 12th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $433.00 to $440.00 and gave the company an &#34;outperform&#34; rating in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Seventeen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, UnitedHealth Group currently has a consensus rating of &#34;Hold&#34; and a consensus target price of $385.54.Read Our Latest Report on UNH<h2>UnitedHealth Group Stock Down 0.2%</h2><ul><li>Snowflake Stock Is on Fire—It’s Still Not Too Late to Buy</li></ul>Shares of UNH stock opened at $327.41 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $296.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.09, a PEG ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.82. The company's fifty day moving average price is $336.81 and its 200-day moving average price is $318.32. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a one year low of $234.60 and a one year high of $606.36. UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 28th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $2.92 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.87 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $113.16 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $113.19 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 19.23% and a net margin of 4.04%.The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 12.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $7.15 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 EPS for the current fiscal year. <h2>UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend</h2>The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 8th were issued a $2.21 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 8th. This represents a $8.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.7%. UnitedHealth Group's payout ratio is 46.14%. <h2>UnitedHealth Group Company Profile</h2> (Free Report)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.<h2>Further Reading</h2><ul><li>Five stocks we like better than UnitedHealth Group</li><li>I Shouldn't Be Sending You This</li><li>REVEALED: America just unlocked a $500 trillion asset</li><li>Wall Street Stock picker Names #1 Stock of 2026</li><li>They Laughed at $30. They Won’t Laugh at $70.</li><li>How Long Will $1M Last in Retirement?</li></ul><img src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://www.marketbeat.com/scripts/SECFilingChart.ashx/query-UHJlZml4PU5ZU0UmU3ltYm9sPVVOSA?x-oss-process=image/auto-orient,1/interlace,1/resize,w_1440,h_1440/quality,q_95/format,jpg" width="650" height="350" original-src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://www.marketbeat.com/scripts/SECFilingChart.ashx/query-UHJlZml4PU5ZU0UmU3ltYm9sPVVOSA"/>This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.<h2>Should You Invest $1,000 in UnitedHealth Group Right Now?</h2>Before you consider UnitedHealth Group, you'll want to hear this.MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on... and UnitedHealth Group wasn't on the list.While UnitedHealth Group currently has a Hold rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys.View The Five Stocks Here </div>

Beech Hill Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 44.9% in Q3, owning 10,470 shares worth $3.62 million. Institutional investors hold 87.86% of UNH stock. UnitedHealth is seen as a long-term buy for 2026 due to its scale and cash flow, despite recent volatility. Analysts have mixed views, with Deutsche Bank downgrading UNH to 'hold' and Royal Bank of Canada upgrading it to 'outperform.'

Beech Hill Advisors Inc. Has $3.62 Million Stock Position in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH