UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) Price Target Raised to $395.00 at Morgan Stanley

Key Points

• Morgan Stanley analysts raised their price target for UnitedHealth Group from $325 to $395, suggesting a potential upside of 10.21% from the current stock price.
• Despite the price increase from some analysts, other firms have issued downgrades or lower price targets, with consensus showing 16 "Buy," 6 "Hold," and 3 "Sell" ratings for the stock.
• UnitedHealth Group reported a net margin of 5.04% and earnings of $4.08 per share for the last quarter, missing analysts' expectations, while annual revenue saw a 12.9% increase year-over-year.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) had its target price increased by stock analysts at Morgan Stanley from $325.00 to $395.00 in a research note issued to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an "overweight" rating on the healthcare conglomerate's stock. Morgan Stanley's target price would indicate a potential upside of 15.71% from the company's previous close.

UNH has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Mizuho cut their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $515.00 to $350.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $337.00 to $379.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, September 5th. UBS Group restated a "buy" rating on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Thursday, July 17th. KeyCorp lowered their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $400.00 to $350.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $418.00 to $310.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, August 6th. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $358.95.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Down 1.9%

UNH stock traded down $6.53 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $341.36. 8,128,609 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 13,038,168. The stock has a market cap of $309.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.81, a P/E/G ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 0.44. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73. UnitedHealth Group has a fifty-two week low of $234.60 and a fifty-two week high of $630.73. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $292.87 and its 200 day moving average price is $367.43.

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On UnitedHealth Group

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Bayforest Capital Ltd raised its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 685.7% in the first 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. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd raised its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 416.7% in the first quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd now owns 62 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. IAG Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the first quarter worth about $42,000. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA bought a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the second quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Finally, Copia Wealth Management bought a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $42,000. 87.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.