UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) Stock Price Up 0.6%

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report)'s stock price was up 0.6% on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $486.98 and last traded at $486.60. Approximately 599,461 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 86% from the average daily volume of 4,419,183 shares. The stock had previously closed at $483.70.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently weighed in on UNH shares. StockNews.com lowered shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 18th. HSBC upgraded shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "reduce" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $460.00 target price for the company in a report on Thursday, April 4th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $545.00 to $562.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, April 19th. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $618.00 to $584.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 5th. Finally, Oppenheimer restated an "outperform" rating and set a $610.00 price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Wednesday, January 17th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, UnitedHealth Group currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $570.05.

UnitedHealth Group Price Performance

The stock has a fifty day moving average of $483.69 and a two-hundred day moving average of $513.21. The stock has a market cap of $445.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

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

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 19th. Investors of record on Monday, March 11th were paid a dividend of $1.88 per share. This represents a $7.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.55%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 8th. UnitedHealth Group's payout ratio is currently 45.97%.

Insider Activity at UnitedHealth Group

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

Institutional Trading of UnitedHealth Group

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Richelieu Gestion SA bought a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Robbins Farley purchased a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the third quarter valued at $25,000. CGC Financial Services LLC grew its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 1,000.0% in the fourth 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 in the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC purchased a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, NewSquare Capital LLC grew its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 340.0% in the third quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 66 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.86% of the company's stock.

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.