<div id="readability-page-1"><p>Smith Salley Wealth Management grew its position in  UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 89.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities &amp; Exchange Commission. The institutional investor  owned 12,873 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after acquiring an additional 6,079 shares during the period. Smith Salley Wealth Management's holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $4,445,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.</p><div><p><span></span><span>Get <strong>UnitedHealth Group</strong> alerts:</span></p></div><ul><li>Sector Rotation: 2 Smart Money Moves for 2026</li></ul><p>A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Bayforest Capital Ltd grew its stake 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 worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the period.  LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA purchased a new position in  UnitedHealth Group in the second quarter valued at about $25,000.  Sagard Holdings Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of  UnitedHealth Group during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $29,000.  Islay Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in  UnitedHealth Group in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $31,000.  Finally, Nova Wealth Management Inc. grew its holdings in  UnitedHealth Group by 339.1% in the first quarter. Nova Wealth Management Inc. now owns 101 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $53,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares during the last quarter. 87.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. </p><h2>Analysts Set New Price Targets</h2><p>UNH has been the topic of several recent research reports. Leerink Partners  set a $410.00 price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group and gave the company an &#34;outperform&#34; rating in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. Piper Sandler dropped their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $423.00 to $417.00 and set an &#34;overweight&#34; rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 28th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $317.00 to $409.00 and gave the company a &#34;buy&#34; rating in a research note on Friday, October 17th. Wells Fargo &amp; Company boosted their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $267.00 to $400.00 and gave the company an &#34;overweight&#34; rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase &amp; Co. lifted their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $310.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock an &#34;overweight&#34; rating in a report on Thursday, October 9th. Seventeen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned  a Hold rating and three have assigned  a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, UnitedHealth Group currently has a consensus rating of &#34;Hold&#34; and a consensus price target of $385.54.</p><ul><li>The Top 3 Investment Themes That Will Dominate 2026</li></ul><p><b>Read Our Latest Stock Report on UnitedHealth Group</b></p><h2>UnitedHealth Group Stock Up 1.0%</h2><p>Shares of UnitedHealth Group stock opened at $332.13 on Wednesday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $332.33 and a 200 day moving average price of $319.37. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a twelve month low of $234.60 and a twelve month high of $606.36. The stock has a market cap of $300.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 0.43. </p><ul><li>5 Healthcare Names to Watch as Sector Rotation Is in Full Swing</li></ul><p>UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last issued its 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 company 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 company's revenue was up 12.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $7.15 earnings per share.  Equities research analysts forecast that  UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. </p><h2>UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement</h2><p>The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 16th. Investors of record on Monday, December 8th were issued a dividend of $2.21 per share. This represents a $8.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 8th. UnitedHealth Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 46.14%. </p><h2>About UnitedHealth Group</h2> (Free Report)<p>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.  </p><p>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.</p><h2>Further Reading</h2><ul><li>Five stocks we like better than UnitedHealth Group</li><li>Do not delete, read immediately</li><li>The Crash Has Already Started (Most Just Don’t See It Yet)</li><li>ALERT: Drop these 5 stocks before January 2026!</li><li>[No Brainer Gold Play]: “Show me a better investment.”</li><li>INVESTOR ALERT: Tiny “$3 AI Wonder Stock” on the Verge of Blasting Off</li></ul><p><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"/></p><p><em>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.</em></p><h2>Should You Invest $1,000 in UnitedHealth Group Right Now?</h2><p>Before you consider UnitedHealth Group, you'll want to hear this.</p><p>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.</p><p>While UnitedHealth Group currently has a Hold rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys.</p><p>View The Five Stocks Here</p>                  </div>

<p>Smith Salley Wealth Management increased its stake in UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) by 89.5% in Q3, owning 12,873 shares valued at $4.45 million. Other investors also raised their holdings, with significant increases from Bayforest Capital and Nova Wealth Management. Analysts have set new price targets for UNH, with a consensus rating of "Hold" and a target of $385.54. The stock opened at $332.13, with a market cap of $300.86 billion. UnitedHealth reported earnings of $2.92 per share, exceeding estimates, and declared a quarterly dividend of $2.21 per share.</p>

Smith Salley Wealth Management Increases Stake in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH