Short Interest in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) Increases By 25.5%

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) saw a significant growth in short interest during the month of May. As of May 15th, there was short interest totalling 11,110,000 shares, a growth of 25.5% from the April 30th total of 8,850,000 shares. Approximately 1.2% of the company's stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 13,650,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 0.8 days.

UnitedHealth Group Price Performance

Shares of UNH stock traded down $0.85 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $300.37. The stock had a trading volume of 11,204,771 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,909,841. UnitedHealth Group has a 12-month low of $248.88 and a 12-month high of $630.73. The company has a market cap of $272.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 0.56. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $418.00 and a 200 day simple moving average of $488.12. The company has a current ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 17th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $7.20 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $7.29 by ($0.09). The company had revenue of $109.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $111.56 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 26.69% and a net margin of 3.60%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $6.91 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that UnitedHealth Group will post 29.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at UnitedHealth Group

In related news, Director Timothy Patrick Flynn purchased 1,533 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 14th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $320.80 per share, for a total transaction of $491,786.40. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 6,033 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,935,386.40. This trade represents a 34.07% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Kristen Gil purchased 3,700 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 15th. The stock was bought at an average price of $271.17 per share, for a total transaction of $1,003,329.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 3,818 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,035,327.06. The trade was a 3,135.59% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have purchased 109,408 shares of company stock worth $31,607,768 over the last three months. 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 the company. Capital & Planning LLC lifted its position in UnitedHealth Group by 19.2% during the 4th quarter. Capital & Planning LLC now owns 491 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $248,000 after acquiring an additional 79 shares in the last quarter. Brighton Jones LLC grew its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 176.2% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 44,249 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $22,384,000 after buying an additional 28,231 shares during the last quarter. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA acquired a new position in UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter worth $27,233,000. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC boosted its position in UnitedHealth Group by 137.1% during the 4th quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 4,019 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $2,033,000 after acquiring an additional 2,324 shares during the period. Finally, McAdam LLC lifted its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 29.1% in the fourth quarter. McAdam LLC now owns 980 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $496,000 after buying an additional 221 shares during the period. 87.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on UNH shares. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $525.00 to $355.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 16th. KeyCorp decreased their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $450.00 to $400.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday. Wolfe Research decreased their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $501.00 to $390.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. Oppenheimer decreased their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $600.00 to $400.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $525.00 to $405.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and seventeen have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $428.43.

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.