UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) Shares Down 1%

Shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) traded down 1% during trading on Friday . The stock traded as low as $485.78 and last traded at $487.94. 773,813 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 82% from the average session volume of 4,390,916 shares. The stock had previously closed at $492.97.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have issued reports on UNH. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an "overweight" rating and set a $591.00 price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. StockNews.com downgraded UnitedHealth Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 18th. HSBC upgraded UnitedHealth Group from a "reduce" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $460.00 target price on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 4th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $545.00 to $562.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 19th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $600.00 to $525.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 8th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $570.05.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Down 0.1 %

The company has a market capitalization of $453.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.10, a PEG ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.55. 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 company has a 50 day simple moving average of $483.02 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $513.07.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 16th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 company had revenue of $99.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $99.23 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $6.26 EPS. UnitedHealth Group's revenue was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 27.6 EPS for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 19th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 11th were given a dividend of $1.88 per share. This represents a $7.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.53%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 8th. UnitedHealth Group's payout ratio is 45.97%.

Insider Buying and Selling at UnitedHealth Group

In other UnitedHealth Group news, CAO Thomas E. Roos sold 858 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $525.79, for a total transaction of $451,127.82. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 32,289 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $16,977,233.31. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 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 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 $16,977,233.31. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Erin Mcsweeney sold 1,236 shares of the business'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 value 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. Insiders own 0.35% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On UnitedHealth Group

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Robbins Farley purchased a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Richelieu Gestion SA acquired a new stake in UnitedHealth Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. CGC Financial Services LLC increased its holdings 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 in the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC acquired a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the fourth quarter worth $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 worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.

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