UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) Stock Price Up 3.8% on Analyst Upgrade

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) shot up 3.8% during mid-day trading on Thursday after Piper Sandler raised their price target on the stock from $566.00 to $571.00. Piper Sandler currently has an overweight rating on the stock. UnitedHealth Group traded as high as $502.00 and last traded at $497.16. 3,324,919 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 25% from the average session volume of 4,448,372 shares. The stock had previously closed at $478.99.

Several other analysts have also recently issued reports on UNH. Truist Financial reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $600.00 price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $618.00 to $584.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 5th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $591.00 price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Barclays raised their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $534.00 to $560.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, HSBC upgraded UnitedHealth Group from a "reduce" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $460.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 4th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $569.68.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related 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 transaction of $597,581.28. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 9,364 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,527,306.72. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other news, CAO Thomas E. Roos sold 858 shares of UnitedHealth Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $525.79, for a total transaction of $451,127.82. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 32,289 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,977,233.31. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Erin Mcsweeney sold 1,236 shares of UnitedHealth Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $483.48, for a total transaction of $597,581.28. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 9,364 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,527,306.72. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.35% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On UnitedHealth Group

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of UNH. Robbins Farley acquired a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Richelieu Gestion SA acquired a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. CGC Financial Services LLC raised its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 1,000.0% during the 4th quarter. CGC Financial Services LLC now owns 55 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC acquired a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, NewSquare Capital LLC raised its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 340.0% during the 3rd quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 66 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

UnitedHealth Group Price Performance

The company has a 50-day moving average of $488.97 and a 200-day moving average of $515.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 0.85. The stock has a market capitalization of $454.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.14, a P/E/G ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 0.54.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 16th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.91 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.63 by $0.28. The company had revenue of $99.80 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $99.23 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 26.50% and a net margin of 4.05%. UnitedHealth Group's revenue was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $6.26 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 27.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 19th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 11th were paid a dividend of $1.88 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 8th. This represents a $7.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.52%. UnitedHealth Group's dividend payout ratio is presently 45.97%.

About UnitedHealth Group

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.