UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) Stock Price Down 0.8% - Time to Sell?

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) shares traded down 0.8% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $390.20 and last traded at $391.31. 2,172,811 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 53% from the average session volume of 4,639,585 shares. The stock had previously closed at $394.51.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $655.00 to $525.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. StockNews.com upgraded shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $652.00 to $525.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Argus lowered UnitedHealth Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Finally, Barclays reduced their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $642.00 to $560.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $596.86.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Performance

The business has a 50-day moving average price of $493.20 and a 200-day moving average price of $526.12. The firm has a market capitalization of $355.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.22, a P/E/G ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 0.56. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74.

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

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 18th. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th were given a dividend of $2.10 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 10th. This represents a $8.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.15%. UnitedHealth Group's payout ratio is 35.18%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On UnitedHealth Group

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of UNH. KFA Private Wealth Group LLC boosted its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 31.2% during the 1st quarter. KFA Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 584 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $306,000 after purchasing an additional 139 shares during the period. AWM Capital LLC raised its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 24.9% in the 1st quarter. AWM Capital LLC now owns 561 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $294,000 after buying an additional 112 shares during the period. Concentrum Wealth Management purchased a new position in UnitedHealth Group during the 1st quarter valued at about $393,000. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. increased its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 757.0% during the first quarter. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. now owns 857 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $449,000 after purchasing an additional 757 shares during the period. Finally, Richards Merrill & Peterson Inc. boosted its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 1.7% in the first quarter. Richards Merrill & Peterson Inc. now owns 1,979 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $1,037,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.86% of the company's stock.

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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