UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) Stock Price Down 1.7% After Analyst Downgrade

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)’s stock price was down 1.7% during mid-day trading on Wednesday after Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on the stock from $342.00 to $325.00. Morgan Stanley currently has an overweight rating on the stock. UnitedHealth Group traded as low as $296.77 and last traded at $299.04. Approximately 6,616,114 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 48% from the average daily volume of 12,787,148 shares. The stock had previously closed at $304.24.

Several other analysts have also recently weighed in on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $355.00 to $286.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Oppenheimer cut their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $400.00 to $325.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Baird R W cut UnitedHealth Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $418.00 to $310.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, August 6th. Finally, KeyCorp dropped their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $400.00 to $350.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $365.38.

Insider Transactions at UnitedHealth Group

In related news, CEO Patrick Hugh Conway sold 589 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $305.00, for a total value of $179,645.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 10,398 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,171,390. This represents a 5.36% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On UnitedHealth Group

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA purchased a new stake in UnitedHealth Group during the 2nd quarter valued at $25,000. Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Bayforest Capital Ltd raised its stake in 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 during the last quarter. Sagard Holdings Management Inc. purchased a new stake in UnitedHealth Group during the 2nd quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Islay Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in UnitedHealth Group during the 2nd quarter valued at $31,000. 87.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Performance

The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73. The firm has a market capitalization of $271.55 billion, a PE ratio of 12.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 0.43. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $288.81 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $392.90.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 29th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $4.08 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.45 by ($0.37). The company had revenue of $111.62 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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 last year, the company earned $6.80 earnings per share. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2025 guidance at 16.000- EPS. Research analysts expect that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 23rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 15th will be paid a $2.21 dividend. This represents a $8.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date 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.