UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) Trading Up 1.3% on Analyst Upgrade

Key Points

• UnitedHealth Group's stock rose by 1.3% following an upgrade by Barclays, raising the price target from $337 to $352.
• The company recently reported earnings of $4.08 per share, which missed analyst estimates of $4.45, despite showing a year-over-year revenue increase of 12.9%.
• A quarterly dividend of $2.21 has been declared, reflecting an annualized yield of 2.8% with a payout ratio of 38.30%.

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) traded up 1.3% on Friday after Barclays raised their price target on the stock from $337.00 to $352.00. Barclays currently has an overweight rating on the stock. UnitedHealth Group traded as high as $316.15 and last traded at $314.27. 4,699,174 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 63% from the average session volume of 12,724,072 shares. The stock had previously closed at $310.38.

UNH has been the topic of several other research reports. TD Cowen lowered shares of 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. Hsbc Global Res cut UnitedHealth Group from a "hold" rating to a "moderate sell" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $306.00 to $267.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, August 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $418.00 to $310.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, August 6th. Finally, Robert W. Baird reissued an "underperform" rating and issued a $198.00 price objective (down from $312.00) on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $353.71.

Insider Activity at UnitedHealth Group

In other news, CEO Patrick Hugh Conway sold 589 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $305.00, for a total value of $179,645.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 10,398 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,171,390. This represents a 5.36% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.28% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of UnitedHealth Group

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA purchased a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the 2nd quarter valued at about $25,000. Bayforest Capital Ltd grew its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 685.7% during 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. Sagard Holdings Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the second quarter worth approximately $29,000. Islay Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in UnitedHealth Group during the second quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd grew its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 416.7% during 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 during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.86% of the company's stock.

UnitedHealth Group Trading Up 1.2%

The firm has a market capitalization of $284.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.61, a PEG ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 0.45. The business's 50-day moving average price is $288.66 and its 200 day moving average price is $375.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.85.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last issued 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $111.75 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $6.80 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 12.9% on a year-over-year basis. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2025 guidance at 16.000- EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 23rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 15th will be given a $2.21 dividend. This represents a $8.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 15th. UnitedHealth Group's dividend payout ratio is 38.30%.

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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