UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) Shares Up 1.5%

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)’s share price rose 1.5% during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $567.40 and last traded at $567.06. Approximately 677,260 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 84% from the average daily volume of 4,259,780 shares. The stock had previously closed at $558.76.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently commented on the company. Barclays increased their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $560.00 to $604.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. Piper Sandler increased their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $566.00 to $571.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 17th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating and set a $591.00 price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Tuesday, July 23rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $545.00 to $562.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 19th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $595.00 to $615.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 17th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, UnitedHealth Group has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $614.17.

UnitedHealth Group Trading Up 1.2 %

The company’s 50-day moving average is $521.83 and its 200 day moving average is $504.89. The firm has a market cap of $520.29 billion, a PE ratio of 34.60, a P/E/G ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a current ratio of 0.88, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 16th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.80 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.66 by $0.14. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 3.66% and a return on equity of 26.55%. The firm had revenue of $98.86 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $98.73 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $6.14 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 27.69 EPS for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 24th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 16th will be issued a dividend of $2.10 per share. This represents a $8.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.49%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 16th. UnitedHealth Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 51.34%.

Insider Activity at UnitedHealth Group

In related news, CAO Thomas E. Roos sold 2,851 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $569.88, for a total transaction of $1,624,727.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 29,501 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,812,029.88. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In other news, EVP Erin Mcsweeney sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $579.03, for a total transaction of $868,545.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 7,785 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,507,748.55. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CAO Thomas E. Roos sold 2,851 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $569.88, for a total transaction of $1,624,727.88. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 29,501 shares in the company, valued at $16,812,029.88. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.33% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On UnitedHealth Group

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 4,468 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $2,352,000 after buying an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. Tennessee Valley Asset Management Partners purchased a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the fourth quarter worth about $158,000. Crestwood Advisors Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 12.4% in the 4th quarter. Crestwood Advisors Group LLC now owns 2,710 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $1,427,000 after acquiring an additional 299 shares in the last quarter. Phocas Financial Corp. purchased a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the fourth quarter worth $242,000. Finally, Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. lifted its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 40.8% in the 4th quarter. Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. now owns 19,298 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $10,160,000 after acquiring an additional 5,593 shares during the last quarter. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.