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

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) was up 1.3% during mid-day trading on Friday after Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price target on the stock from $337.00 to $379.00. Sanford C. Bernstein currently has an outperform rating on the stock. UnitedHealth Group traded as high as $316.15 and last traded at $314.27. Approximately 4,699,174 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 63% from the average daily volume of 12,724,072 shares. The stock had previously closed at $310.38.

Several other brokerages have also issued reports on UNH. Robert W. Baird reaffirmed an “underperform” rating and set a $198.00 price objective (down previously from $312.00) on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Thursday, July 31st. Bank of America raised their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $290.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, August 18th. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $355.00 to $286.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. TD Securities reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $308.00 price objective (down previously from $520.00) on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Monday, May 19th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $306.00 to $267.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, August 4th. Sixteen research 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $354.86.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other UnitedHealth Group news, CEO Patrick Hugh Conway sold 589 shares of UnitedHealth Group 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 sale, the chief executive officer owned 10,398 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,171,390. The trade was a 5.36% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On UnitedHealth Group

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Financial Management Professionals Inc. boosted its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 0.8% in the 1st quarter. Financial Management Professionals Inc. now owns 2,224 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $1,165,000 after purchasing an additional 17 shares in the last quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates boosted its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 28.6% during the 1st quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates now owns 90 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Kolinsky Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Kolinsky Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,135 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $1,080,000 after buying an additional 21 shares in the last quarter. Retirement Planning Group LLC increased its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 5.1% in the first quarter. Retirement Planning Group LLC now owns 430 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $225,000 after buying an additional 21 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Net Worth Advisory Group increased its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 0.6% in the first quarter. Net Worth Advisory Group now owns 3,642 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $1,907,000 after buying an additional 21 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.86% of the company’s stock.

UnitedHealth Group Trading Up 1.5%

The firm has a market cap of $285.38 billion, a PE ratio of 13.65, a PEG ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 0.45. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $288.78 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $374.41. 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) last posted its earnings results 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). UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 5.04% and a return on equity of 23.32%. The company had revenue of $111.62 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $111.75 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $6.80 EPS. UnitedHealth Group’s quarterly revenue was up 12.9% compared to the same quarter last year. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2025 guidance at 16.000- EPS. Analysts forecast that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 EPS for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

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

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.