Jim Cramer Says UNH at $354 Is a Steal — Here’s Why the Math Backs Him Up

Jim Cramer made UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) the centerpiece of his April 21 Mad Money show, arguing the managed attraction elephantine is backmost successful warring signifier aft a brutal year. His lawsuit was simple: a returning CEO helium trusts, a cleanable Q1 beat, and a banal inactive trading acold beneath its highs.

"Today, the institution reported what I deliberation volition beryllium the archetypal of galore upside surprises. Just similar the mode Hemsley ever utilized to do, clockwork. You don't conscionable get 1 bully 4th from Hemsley, you get many. Stock changeable up astir 7%. I deliberation it's a buy. I deliberation it tin instrumentality to its erstwhile greatness," Cramer said.

The mathematics down his telephone is the portion astir investors should absorption on.

The expert who called NVIDIA successful 2010 conscionable named his apical 10 stocks. Get them present FREE.

UnitedHealth closed astatine $354.56 connected April 23, 2026. On the Q1 call, absorption raised full-year adjusted EPS guidance to greater than $18.25 per share, up from a anterior level of $17.75. That puts the guardant aggregate astatine astir 19x earnings, successful enactment with the 20x guardant P/E Alpha Vantage shows for the stock.

For context, UNH traded supra $600 little than a twelvemonth agone and deed a 52-week precocious of $412.49. Even aft a 30.22% one-month rally, shares are inactive down 14.8% implicit the trailing year. That is the drawdown Cramer believes created the setup.

UnitedHealth's Q1 2026 8-K showed adjusted EPS of $7.23 versus a $6.61 consensus, a 9.38% beat. Revenue came successful astatine $111.72 billion, up 2.0% twelvemonth implicit year. The astir important fig for investors watching borderline repair: the aesculapian attraction ratio improved 90 ground points to 83.9%, against the 84.8% posted successful Q1 2025.

UnitedHealthcare's operating borderline expanded to 6.6%, with conception operating net of $5.69 cardinal and 415,000 nett caller Employer & Individual members. Operating currency travel deed $8.91 billion, oregon 1.4x nett income, giving CFO Wayne DeVeydt country to accelerate buybacks. Management is present committed to deploying astatine slightest $2.0 cardinal successful repurchases by the extremity of Q2.

Cramer's condemnation leans heavy connected Board Chairman and CEO Stephen Hemsley, who returned to the relation successful May 2025 aft moving the institution from 2006 to 2017. On the call, Hemsley said UnitedHealth has "refreshed astir fractional of our apical 100 enactment roles" and is investing astir $1.5 cardinal successful AI-related initiatives successful 2026. He added that the squad is "a agelong mode from performing to our afloat potential."