UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) Trading Up 1.4%

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report)'s share price traded up 1.4% during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $495.38 and last traded at $494.00. 1,176,298 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 74% from the average session volume of 4,489,690 shares. The stock had previously closed at $487.30.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UNH has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Truist Financial restated a "buy" rating and issued a $600.00 price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Wednesday, April 17th. TD Cowen cut their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $607.00 to $546.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $596.00 to $555.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 17th. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $591.00 price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Finally, Oppenheimer reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $610.00 target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Wednesday, January 17th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, UnitedHealth Group presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $570.05.

UnitedHealth Group Price Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $486.90 and a 200-day simple moving average of $514.57. The company has a market capitalization of $454.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.20, a PEG ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 0.54.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 16th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $6.63 by $0.28. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 26.50% and a net margin of 4.05%. The business had revenue of $99.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $99.23 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $6.26 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 27.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced 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 1.52%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 8th. UnitedHealth Group's dividend payout ratio is 45.97%.

Insider Activity

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 value of $597,581.28. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 9,364 shares in the company, 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 the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 8th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at approximately $4,527,306.72. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CAO Thomas E. Roos sold 858 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $525.79, for a total value of $451,127.82. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 32,289 shares in the company, valued at $16,977,233.31. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.35% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On UnitedHealth Group

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Robbins Farley bought a new position in UnitedHealth Group during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Richelieu Gestion SA bought a new stake in UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. CGC Financial Services LLC raised its position in UnitedHealth Group by 1,000.0% in the 4th quarter. CGC Financial Services LLC now owns 55 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC bought a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, NewSquare Capital LLC increased its position in UnitedHealth Group by 340.0% in the 3rd quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 66 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.86% of the company's stock.

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.

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