UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) Stock Price Up 1.5%

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) shares shot up 1.5% during trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $446.22 and last traded at $445.99. 1,298,731 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 69% from the average session volume of 4,246,459 shares. The stock had previously closed at $439.20.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have commented on UNH. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $596.00 price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Thursday, February 29th. Barclays started coverage on UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $551.00 price objective for the company. HSBC raised UnitedHealth Group from a "reduce" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $460.00 target price for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 4th. Piper Sandler cut their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $584.00 to $581.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 17th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $591.00 target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $573.80.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Up 1.5 %

The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The firm has a market capitalization of $410.84 billion, a PE ratio of 18.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 0.54. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $492.29 and a two-hundred day moving average of $516.34.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Friday, January 12th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.16 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.98 by $0.18. The business had revenue of $94.43 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $92.13 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 26.39% and a net margin of 6.02%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 14.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $5.34 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 27.7 EPS for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 19th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 11th were given a $1.88 dividend. This represents a $7.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.69%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 8th. UnitedHealth Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 31.54%.

Insider Buying and Selling at UnitedHealth Group

In other UnitedHealth Group news, EVP Erin Mcsweeney sold 1,236 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $483.48, for a total value of $597,581.28. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 9,364 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,527,306.72. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, EVP Erin Mcsweeney sold 1,236 shares of UnitedHealth Group stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $483.48, for a total transaction of $597,581.28. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 9,364 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,527,306.72. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Thomas E. Roos sold 858 shares of UnitedHealth Group stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $525.79, for a total value of $451,127.82. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 32,289 shares in the company, valued at $16,977,233.31. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.35% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On UnitedHealth Group

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Ascension Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the third quarter valued at approximately $216,000. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in UnitedHealth Group during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $207,000. Bellecapital International Ltd. grew its position in UnitedHealth Group by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Bellecapital International Ltd. now owns 13,823 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $7,277,000 after purchasing an additional 193 shares in the last quarter. Bartlett & Co. LLC grew its position in UnitedHealth Group by 5.7% during the 3rd quarter. Bartlett & Co. LLC now owns 164,353 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $82,865,000 after purchasing an additional 8,873 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. grew its position in UnitedHealth Group by 5.8% during the 3rd quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. now owns 34,297 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $17,292,000 after purchasing an additional 1,884 shares in the last quarter. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

UnitedHealth Group Company 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.