UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) Shares Up 1.4%

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report)'s share price rose 1.4% on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $521.12 and last traded at $521.07. Approximately 676,454 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 84% from the average daily volume of 4,249,450 shares. The stock had previously closed at $513.88.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have issued reports on UNH. TD Cowen lowered their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $607.00 to $546.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Stephens reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $605.00 target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Thursday, February 8th. Erste Group Bank restated a "hold" rating on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Wednesday, March 13th. Bank of America restated a "buy" rating and issued a $675.00 target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Thursday, March 7th. Finally, Truist Financial reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $600.00 price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Wednesday, April 17th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $570.05.

UnitedHealth Group Price Performance

The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The firm has a market cap of $476.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.85, a PEG ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 0.55. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $483.69 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $511.41.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results 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. The firm had revenue of $99.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $99.23 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 26.50% and a net margin of 4.05%. The company's revenue was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $6.26 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 27.6 earnings per share for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 19th. Investors of record on Monday, March 11th were given a $1.88 dividend. This represents a $7.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.45%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 8th. UnitedHealth Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 45.97%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO Thomas E. Roos sold 858 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $525.79, for a total value of $451,127.82. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 32,289 shares of the company's stock, valued at $16,977,233.31. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In other news, EVP Erin Mcsweeney sold 1,236 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $483.48, for a total value of $597,581.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 9,364 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,527,306.72. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CAO Thomas E. Roos sold 858 shares of the business's stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 32,289 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $16,977,233.31. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.33% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On UnitedHealth Group

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Richelieu Gestion SA bought a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. CGC Financial Services LLC boosted its stake in shares of 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. Delos Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 757.1% in the first quarter. Delos Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 60 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 53 shares during the period. True Wealth Design LLC bought a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, NewSquare Capital LLC boosted 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 valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.