UnitedHealth Surges 3.65% on $3.17B Volume as Institutional Buyers Jump In Ranking 21st in Market Activity

On August 12, 2025, UnitedHealth (UNH) surged 3.65% with a trading volume of $3.17 billion, ranking 21st in market activity. Institutional activity highlighted a $916,000 position added by Professional Financial Advisors LLC and a $4.7 million stake by Lavaca Capital LLC, signaling renewed institutional confidence. Analyst activity included Cantor Fitzgerald reiterating an overweight rating and J.P. Morgan assigning a buy, reinforcing positive sentiment amid a defensive stock rally.

Operational updates included UnitedHealth’s relocation of offices to the Optum campus in Eden Prairie, a move likely to consolidate operations. Earnings forecasts showed mixed signals, with Q4 2023 EPS estimates revised downward by some analysts, while FY2023 projections remained at $24.86 per share. MarketBeat’s sentiment analysis noted a moderate buy consensus, with no major regulatory or earnings surprises reported in the week leading to the rally.

The strategy of buying the top 500 stocks by daily trading volume and holding them for one day resulted in a moderate return. The total profit from December 2021 to August 2025 was $2,940, with a maximum drawdown of $-1,960 during the same period. The strategy's average daily return was 0.24%, with a Sharpe ratio of 0.67 and a maximum Sharpe of 1.2 over the past four years.