UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH Shares Purchased by Viking Fund Management LLC

Key Points

• Viking Fund Management LLC increased its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 50% during the second quarter, now owning 6,000 shares worth approximately $1.87 million.
• Analysts have mixed ratings for UnitedHealth Group, with target prices ranging from $267.00 to $358.95, reflecting varied outlooks on the stock's potential.
• UnitedHealth Group's recent earnings report revealed an EPS of $4.08, falling short of expectations, while the company also announced a quarterly dividend of $2.21 to be paid to shareholders.

Viking Fund Management LLC raised its position in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 50.0% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 6,000 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after purchasing an additional 2,000 shares during the quarter. Viking Fund Management LLC's holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $1,872,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in UNH. Bayforest Capital Ltd increased 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 last quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd increased its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 416.7% during the first quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd now owns 62 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the period. Copia Wealth Management purchased a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the fourth quarter worth about $42,000. IAG Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the 1st quarter worth approximately $42,000. Finally, Investment Management Corp VA ADV purchased a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Institutional investors own 87.86% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UNH has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Robert W. Baird reaffirmed an "underperform" rating and set a $198.00 price target (down from $312.00) on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. Truist Financial increased their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $310.00 to $365.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 9th. Piper Sandler lowered their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $353.00 to $317.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $355.00 to $286.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded UnitedHealth Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 24th. Sixteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $358.95.

UnitedHealth Group Trading Up 0.6%

Shares of UNH stock traded up $1.90 on Friday, reaching $336.72. The company had a trading volume of 13,528,738 shares, compared to its average volume of 13,748,202. The stock has a market cap of $304.96 billion, a PE ratio of 14.59, a PEG ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 12 month low of $234.60 and a 12 month high of $630.73. The company has a 50-day moving average of $295.67 and a 200-day moving average of $364.42.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 29th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $4.08 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $4.45 by ($0.37). The company had revenue of $111.62 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $111.75 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 23.32% and a net margin of 5.04%.UnitedHealth Group's revenue was up 12.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $6.80 earnings per share. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2025 guidance at 16.000- EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 earnings per share for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 23rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 15th will be given a dividend of $2.21 per share. This represents a $8.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 15th. UnitedHealth Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 38.30%.

UnitedHealth Group Profile

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated operates as a diversified health care company in the United States. The company operates through four segments: UnitedHealthcare, Optum Health, Optum Insight, and Optum Rx. The UnitedHealthcare segment offers consumer-oriented health benefit plans and services for national employers, public sector employers, mid-sized employers, small businesses, and individuals; health care coverage, and health and well-being services to individuals age 50 and older addressing their needs; Medicaid plans, children's health insurance and health care programs; and health and dental benefits, and hospital and clinical services, as well as health care benefits products and services to state programs caring for the economically disadvantaged, medically underserved, and those without the benefit of employer-funded health care coverage.