UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) has received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-five ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $354.8636.

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on UNH shares. TD Cowen downgraded UnitedHealth Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $308.00 target price for the company. in a report on Monday, May 19th. Truist Financial reduced their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $360.00 to $345.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 16th. Baird R W cut UnitedHealth Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. Robert W. Baird reiterated an “underperform” rating and set a $198.00 price target (down from $312.00) on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $342.00 to $325.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, August 20th.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Up 1.5%

Shares of UnitedHealth Group stock opened at $315.10 on Monday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $288.78 and its 200-day moving average price is $372.56. 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 has a 52-week low of $234.60 and a 52-week high of $630.73. The company has a market cap of $285.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.65, a PEG ratio of 2.04 and a beta of 0.44.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $4.08 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.45 by ($0.37). The business had revenue of $111.62 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $111.75 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 23.32% and a net margin of 5.04%.UnitedHealth Group’s revenue was up 12.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $6.80 EPS. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2025 guidance at 16.000- EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that UnitedHealth Group will post 29.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity at UnitedHealth Group

In related news, CEO Patrick Hugh Conway sold 589 shares of the business’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 transaction of $179,645.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 10,398 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,171,390. The trade was a 5.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.28% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of UnitedHealth Group

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in UNH. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA acquired a new position in UnitedHealth Group during the second quarter worth $25,000. Bayforest Capital Ltd boosted its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 685.7% during the first quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd now owns 55 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Sagard Holdings Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the 2nd quarter worth $29,000. Islay Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the 2nd quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd grew its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 416.7% during the 1st quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd now owns 62 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the period. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.