UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) shares fell 0.2% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $489.30 and last traded at $492.15. 754,174 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 81% from the average session volume of 4,045,037 shares. The stock had previously closed at $493.10.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
UNH has been the subject of several recent research reports. Barclays initiated coverage on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Wednesday, March 6th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $551.00 target price for the company. Bank of America reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $675.00 price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Thursday, March 7th. HSBC reiterated a "reduce" rating and issued a $480.00 target price (down previously from $550.00) on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Monday, December 18th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $596.00 price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Thursday, February 29th. Finally, Piper Sandler decreased their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $584.00 to $581.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $579.33.
Read Our Latest Research Report on UnitedHealth Group
UnitedHealth Group Stock Performance
The firm has a market cap of $456.08 billion, a PE ratio of 20.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.79. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $503.10 and a 200-day simple moving average of $518.61.
UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Friday, January 12th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.16 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $5.98 by $0.18. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 6.02% and a return on equity of 26.39%. The company had revenue of $94.43 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $92.13 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $5.34 earnings per share. UnitedHealth Group's revenue for the quarter was up 14.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 27.82 EPS for the current year.
UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend
The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 19th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 11th were given a $1.88 dividend. This represents a $7.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.52%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 8th. UnitedHealth Group's dividend payout ratio is presently 31.54%.
Insider Buying and Selling at UnitedHealth Group
In other news, EVP Erin Mcsweeney sold 1,236 shares of the 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 in the company, valued at $4,527,306.72. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In other news, CAO Thomas E. Roos sold 858 shares of the business's 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 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 filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Erin Mcsweeney sold 1,236 shares of UnitedHealth Group 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 directly owns 9,364 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,527,306.72. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.35% of the stock is owned by company insiders.
Hedge Funds Weigh In On UnitedHealth Group
A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. increased its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 17.3% during the fourth quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 1,134 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $597,000 after buying an additional 167 shares during the last quarter. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC bought a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the 4th quarter worth $10,386,000. Fairman Group LLC purchased a new stake in UnitedHealth Group in the fourth quarter worth about $198,000. Grayhawk Investment Strategies Inc. increased its position in UnitedHealth Group by 84.0% in the fourth quarter. Grayhawk Investment Strategies Inc. now owns 173 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $91,000 after buying an additional 79 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ariston Services Group purchased a new position in UnitedHealth Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $254,000. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
About UnitedHealth Group
(
Get Free Report)
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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