UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) Shares Down 0.2%

Shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) dropped 0.2% on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $510.12 and last traded at $510.76. Approximately 603,513 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 86% from the average daily volume of 4,262,496 shares. The stock had previously closed at $511.74.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have commented on UNH. Piper Sandler raised their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $566.00 to $571.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 17th. Stephens reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $605.00 price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Thursday, February 8th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $600.00 to $525.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 8th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $596.00 to $555.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 17th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $591.00 price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, UnitedHealth Group presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $570.05.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Up 0.4 %

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 stock has a market capitalization of $472.97 billion, a PE ratio of 31.41, a P/E/G ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 0.55. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $482.88 and a two-hundred day moving average of $511.48.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 16th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.91 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $6.63 by $0.28. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 4.05% and a return on equity of 26.50%. The firm had revenue of $99.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $99.23 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $6.26 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 27.6 earnings per share for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 19th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 11th were given a dividend of $1.88 per share. This represents a $7.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.46%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 8th. UnitedHealth Group's payout ratio is 45.97%.

Insider Activity at UnitedHealth Group

In related news, EVP Erin Mcsweeney sold 1,236 shares of the firm'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 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, CAO Thomas E. Roos sold 858 shares of the business's stock in a transaction 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 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 filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Erin Mcsweeney sold 1,236 shares of UnitedHealth Group stock in a transaction 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 owns 9,364 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,527,306.72. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.33% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On UnitedHealth Group

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of UNH. Richelieu Gestion SA acquired a new stake in UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. CGC Financial Services LLC grew 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 worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC bought a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Delos Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 757.1% in the first quarter. Delos Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 60 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. Finally, NewSquare Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 340.0% during the third quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 66 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares during the period. 87.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.