UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) Downgraded by Robert W. Baird to "Neutral"

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) was downgraded by Robert W. Baird from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday, MarketBeat reports. They currently have a $312.00 price objective on the healthcare conglomerate's stock. Robert W. Baird's price objective indicates a potential downside of 1.41% from the company's previous close.

Several other research analysts have also weighed in on UNH. Oppenheimer lowered their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $600.00 to $400.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. TD Cowen lowered UnitedHealth Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $308.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Monday, May 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $525.00 to $405.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 15th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $521.00 to $362.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Finally, Piper Sandler cut their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $552.00 to $353.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, June 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, UnitedHealth Group presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $426.52.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Up 1.9%

UNH traded up $5.89 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $316.45. 9,903,449 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,115,595. The stock's 50-day moving average is $395.60 and its two-hundred day moving average is $478.20. 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 has a 1-year low of $248.88 and a 1-year high of $630.73. The stock has a market cap of $287.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.42, a PEG ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 0.45.

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

Insider Activity at UnitedHealth Group

In related news, CFO John F. Rex acquired 17,175 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 16th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $291.12 per share, with a total value of $4,999,986.00. Following the purchase, the chief financial officer now directly owns 203,796 shares in the company, valued at approximately $59,329,091.52. This trade represents a 9.20% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Stephen J. Hemsley purchased 86,700 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 16th. The shares were bought at an average price of $288.57 per share, with a total value of $25,019,019.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer now directly owns 679,493 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $196,081,295.01. This represents a 14.63% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have bought 109,408 shares of company stock valued at $31,607,768 over the last three months. 0.28% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On UnitedHealth Group

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of UNH. Norges Bank bought a new stake in UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $6,375,744,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 56,142.1% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 8,295,153 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $4,344,586,000 after purchasing an additional 8,280,404 shares during the last quarter. Nuveen LLC bought a new position in UnitedHealth Group during the 1st quarter worth $3,846,764,000. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 6.6% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 90,729,585 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $47,519,620,000 after buying an additional 5,583,343 shares during the period. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,914,740,000. Institutional investors 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.