UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) Upgraded at Weiss Ratings

Key Points

• UnitedHealth Group has been upgraded by Weiss Ratings from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating, indicating a more favorable outlook from analysts.
• Despite a quarterly earnings miss, with earnings per share of $4.08 against estimates of $4.45, the company's revenue increased by 12.9% year-over-year.
• A significant portion, 87.86%, of UnitedHealth Group's stock is currently held by institutional investors and hedge funds, reflecting strong confidence in the company's performance.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Weiss Ratings from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday,Weiss Ratings reports.

A number of other research analysts have also weighed in on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $355.00 to $286.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. KeyCorp upped their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $350.00 to $400.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $440.00 price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Tuesday, August 26th. Zacks Research raised shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, October 6th. Finally, Oppenheimer lowered their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $400.00 to $325.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Eighteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $385.13.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Up 0.9%

Shares of UnitedHealth Group stock traded up $3.41 on Friday, hitting $363.86. 3,274,043 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 12,409,416. The company has a market cap of $329.54 billion, a PE ratio of 15.76, a PEG ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 0.47. UnitedHealth Group has a 12-month low of $234.60 and a 12-month high of $630.73. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $337.26 and a 200 day moving average price of $340.29. 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 (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 29th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $4.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $4.45 by ($0.37). The business had revenue of $111.62 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $111.75 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 23.32% and a net margin of 5.04%.The company's revenue for the quarter was up 12.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $6.80 earnings per share. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2025 guidance at 16.000- EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that UnitedHealth Group will post 29.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On UnitedHealth Group

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of UNH. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in UnitedHealth Group in the second quarter worth $3,837,207,000. Nuveen LLC acquired a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the first quarter worth $3,846,764,000. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in 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 purchasing an additional 5,583,343 shares in the last quarter. Berkshire Hathaway Inc bought a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the second quarter valued at $1,572,193,000. Finally, Dodge & Cox grew its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 117.7% in the 2nd quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 8,750,560 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $2,729,912,000 after acquiring an additional 4,730,192 shares during the period. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.

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