UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) Trading Up 3.8% Following Analyst Upgrade

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) shares rose 3.8% during trading on Thursday after Piper Sandler raised their price target on the stock from $566.00 to $571.00. Piper Sandler currently has an overweight rating on the stock. UnitedHealth Group traded as high as $502.00 and last traded at $497.16. Approximately 3,324,919 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 25% from the average daily volume of 4,448,372 shares. The stock had previously closed at $478.99.

Several other brokerages have also commented on UNH. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating and set a $591.00 target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Oppenheimer reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $610.00 price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Wednesday, January 17th. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $605.00 target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Thursday, February 8th. Truist Financial reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $600.00 price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $618.00 to $584.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 5th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, UnitedHealth Group has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $569.68.

Insider Buying and Selling at UnitedHealth Group

In related news, CAO Thomas E. Roos sold 858 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $525.79, for a total transaction of $451,127.82. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 32,289 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,977,233.31. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other news, EVP Erin Mcsweeney sold 1,236 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $483.48, for a total value of $597,581.28. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 9,364 shares in the company, valued at $4,527,306.72. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CAO Thomas E. Roos sold 858 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $525.79, for a total transaction of $451,127.82. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 32,289 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,977,233.31. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.35% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On UnitedHealth Group

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of UNH. Ascension Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the 3rd quarter worth $216,000. Bellecapital International Ltd. lifted its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. Bellecapital International Ltd. now owns 13,823 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $7,277,000 after purchasing an additional 193 shares in the last quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 5.8% in the third quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. now owns 34,297 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $17,292,000 after purchasing an additional 1,884 shares in the last quarter. Rise Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 326.0% during the fourth quarter. Rise Advisors LLC now owns 213 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $112,000 after purchasing an additional 163 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Gradient Investments LLC grew its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 6.3% during the 4th quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 84,278 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $44,370,000 after buying an additional 5,023 shares in the last quarter. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

UnitedHealth Group Price Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The stock has a market cap of $454.66 billion, a PE ratio of 30.14, a P/E/G ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 0.54. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $488.97 and its 200 day moving average price is $515.22.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 16th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.91 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.63 by $0.28. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 26.50% and a net margin of 4.05%. The firm had revenue of $99.80 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $99.23 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $6.26 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts expect that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 27.75 EPS for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 19th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 11th were issued a $1.88 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 8th. This represents a $7.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.52%. UnitedHealth Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 45.97%.

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.