UnitedHealth Group Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NYSE:UNH)

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) was the recipient of some unusual options trading activity on Monday. Investors bought 290,953 put options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 102% compared to the average daily volume of 143,946 put options.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:UNH traded down $5.69 on Monday, reaching $307.84. 14,177,381 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,229,991. The company has a fifty day moving average of $386.66 and a 200-day moving average of $472.32. UnitedHealth Group has a twelve month low of $248.88 and a twelve month high of $630.73. The company has a market capitalization of $279.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.86, a PEG ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 0.44. 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 quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 17th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $7.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $7.29 by ($0.09). UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 26.69% and a net margin of 3.60%. The firm had revenue of $109.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $111.56 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $6.91 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that UnitedHealth Group will post 29.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 24th. Investors of record on Monday, June 16th will be issued a $2.21 dividend. This is a positive change from UnitedHealth Group's previous quarterly dividend of $2.10. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 16th. This represents a $8.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.87%. UnitedHealth Group's payout ratio is presently 37.02%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently commented on UNH. Mizuho dropped their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $515.00 to $350.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Wells Fargo & Company reissued an "overweight" rating on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Friday, June 6th. Hsbc Global Res lowered shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "hold" rating to a "moderate sell" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 21st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped 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, Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group to $350.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, June 2nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $426.52.

Insider Activity at UnitedHealth Group

In other UnitedHealth Group news, Director Timothy Patrick Flynn bought 1,533 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 14th. The stock was bought at an average price of $320.80 per share, for a total transaction of $491,786.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 6,033 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,935,386.40. The trade was a 34.07% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director John H. Noseworthy purchased 300 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 14th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $312.16 per share, with a total value of $93,648.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 6,063 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,892,626.08. This represents a 5.21% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders purchased 109,408 shares of company stock worth $31,607,768 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.28% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On UnitedHealth Group

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. NewSquare Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Hurley Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Bayforest Capital Ltd lifted its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 685.7% during the 1st quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd now owns 55 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd bought a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.

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