Sanford C. Bernstein Issues Positive Forecast for UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) Stock Price

Key Points

• Sanford C. Bernstein has raised its price target for **UnitedHealth Group** (NYSE:UNH) from **$337.00** to **$379.00**, indicating a potential upside of **20.56%** from the current stock price.
• UnitedHealth Group recently reported **$4.08 EPS**, missing the consensus estimate of **$4.45**, with revenue up **12.9%** compared to the same quarter last year.
• Currently, **16 analysts** rate UnitedHealth stock as a **Buy**, six as **Hold**, and three as **Sell**, resulting in an average rating of **"Moderate Buy."**

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) had its price objective boosted by investment analysts at Sanford C. Bernstein from $337.00 to $379.00 in a report issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an "outperform" rating on the healthcare conglomerate's stock. Sanford C. Bernstein's price target suggests a potential upside of 20.56% from the company's current price.

UNH has been the subject of a number of other reports. Hsbc Global Res lowered UnitedHealth Group from a "hold" rating to a "moderate sell" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. UBS Group reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Thursday, July 17th. Truist Financial decreased their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $360.00 to $345.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 16th. Piper Sandler lowered their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $353.00 to $317.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Finally, Raymond James Financial lowered shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "strong-buy" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $354.86.

UnitedHealth Group Trading Up 1.3%

NYSE:UNH traded up $3.99 on Friday, hitting $314.37. 5,291,178 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 12,728,223. The stock has a market cap of $284.72 billion, a PE ratio of 13.64, a PEG ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $288.66 and a 200-day moving average of $375.70. UnitedHealth Group has a fifty-two week low of $234.60 and a fifty-two week high of $630.73.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $4.08 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.45 by ($0.37). The firm had revenue of $111.62 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $111.75 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 23.32% and a net margin of 5.04%.The business's revenue was up 12.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $6.80 earnings per share. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2025 guidance at 16.000- EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that UnitedHealth Group will post 29.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Patrick Hugh Conway sold 589 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $305.00, for a total value of $179,645.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 10,398 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,171,390. This represents a 5.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.28% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On UnitedHealth Group

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of UNH. Citizens National Bank Trust Department grew its position in UnitedHealth Group by 1.0% in the 1st quarter. Citizens National Bank Trust Department now owns 17,886 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $9,368,000 after buying an additional 170 shares during the last quarter. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH boosted its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 0.3% during the 1st quarter. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH now owns 530,103 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $277,641,000 after purchasing an additional 1,465 shares in the last quarter. Caitlin John LLC boosted its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 14.8% during the 1st quarter. Caitlin John LLC now owns 862 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $451,000 after purchasing an additional 111 shares in the last quarter. Sherbrooke Park Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the 4th quarter worth about $515,000. Finally, Full Sail Capital LLC lifted its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 2.1% in the 4th quarter. Full Sail Capital LLC now owns 1,612 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $815,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. 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.

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.