UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) Stock Price Down 2% - Here's What Happened

Key Points

• Shares fell ~2% to about $334.37 on Tuesday with mid‑day volume of ~6.28M shares, roughly 47% below the average session volume, after a prior close of $341.10.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed-to-positive: MarketBeat shows a consensus "Hold" with an average price target of $385.54 (17 Buys, 9 Holds, 3 Sells), and several firms recently lifted targets (e.g., Wells Fargo to $400, RBC to $408).
• Fundamentals and payout: UNH beat EPS estimates ($2.92 vs. $2.87), reported revenue up 12.2% YoY to $113.16B, and declared a quarterly dividend of $2.21 (annualized $8.84, ~2.6% yield; payout ratio ~46%).

Shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) traded down 2% during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $331.03 and last traded at $334.37. 6,279,908 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 47% from the average session volume of 11,788,597 shares. The stock had previously closed at $341.10.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have issued reports on UNH shares. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a report on Friday, October 24th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $267.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 7th. Truist Financial increased their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $310.00 to $365.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, September 9th. TD Cowen upped their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $335.00 to $338.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $286.00 to $408.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. Seventeen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, UnitedHealth Group presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $385.54.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Down 2.0%

The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $339.49 and a 200 day simple moving average of $317.51. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. The stock has a market cap of $302.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.45, a PEG ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 0.43.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 28th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $2.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.87 by $0.05. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 4.04% and a return on equity of 19.23%. The business had revenue of $113.16 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $113.19 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $7.15 EPS. UnitedHealth Group's revenue was up 12.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts expect that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 8th will be paid a dividend of $2.21 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 8th. This represents a $8.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.6%. UnitedHealth Group's payout ratio is 46.14%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On UnitedHealth Group

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA bought a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the second quarter valued at about $25,000. Bayforest Capital Ltd lifted its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 685.7% during the 1st quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd now owns 55 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Sagard Holdings Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the second quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC boosted its position in UnitedHealth Group by 69.4% in the third quarter. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC now owns 83 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Finally, 1248 Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. Institutional investors own 87.86% of the company's stock.

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.

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