UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) Raised to “Buy” at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note released on Tuesday.

Several other research firms have also weighed in on UNH. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $597.00 to $640.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. HSBC upped their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $580.00 to $610.00 in a research report on Thursday, July 18th. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $640.00 to $680.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Thursday, July 18th. Truist Financial boosted their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $600.00 to $640.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 17th. Finally, Argus boosted their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $570.00 to $600.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, UnitedHealth Group currently has an average rating of Buy and a consensus price target of $614.17.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Performance

NYSE:UNH opened at $575.00 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $530.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.15, a PEG ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 0.58. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $577.10 and a 200-day moving average price of $520.47. UnitedHealth Group has a fifty-two week low of $436.38 and a fifty-two week high of $607.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a current ratio of 0.88.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 16th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.80 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.66 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $98.86 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $98.73 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 3.66% and a return on equity of 26.55%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $6.14 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that UnitedHealth Group will post 27.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 24th. Investors of record on Monday, September 16th will be paid a dividend of $2.10 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 16th. This represents a $8.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.46%. UnitedHealth Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 51.34%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Institutional Trading of UnitedHealth Group

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in UNH. Macroview Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 671.4% during the second quarter. Macroview Investment Management LLC now owns 54 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. Delos Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 757.1% in the 1st quarter. Delos Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 60 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC purchased a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Bbjs Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the second quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Signature Resources Capital Management LLC grew its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 40.0% in the 2nd quarter. Signature Resources Capital Management LLC now owns 63 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares during the period. 87.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.