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

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) shares dropped 0.8% during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as low as $393.11 and last traded at $397.36. Approximately 3,816,409 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 35% from the average daily volume of 5,843,933 shares. The stock had previously closed at $400.68.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UNH has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Argus lowered UnitedHealth Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, April 21st. StockNews.com raised shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered 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. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $700.00 price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Truist Financial lowered their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $660.00 to $580.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 21st. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, UnitedHealth Group currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $596.86.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $362.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 0.61. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $495.85 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $528.74. 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 earnings results on Thursday, April 17th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $7.20 earnings per share 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 company had revenue of $109.58 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $111.56 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $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 fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 18th. Stockholders 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.11%. UnitedHealth Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 35.18%.

Institutional Trading of UnitedHealth Group

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. NewSquare Capital LLC acquired a new stake in UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in UnitedHealth Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Hurley Capital LLC acquired a new position in UnitedHealth Group during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. AlphaMark Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in UnitedHealth Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd bought a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.