UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) Trading Up 0.1%

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)’s share price was up 0.1% during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $495.73 and last traded at $492.91. Approximately 565,580 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 86% from the average daily volume of 4,066,326 shares. The stock had previously closed at $492.31.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have issued reports on the company. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $605.00 price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Thursday, February 8th. Oppenheimer reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $610.00 target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Wednesday, January 17th. Bank of America reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $675.00 price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Thursday, March 7th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $591.00 price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Friday, January 19th. Finally, HSBC reissued a “reduce” rating and issued a $480.00 price target (down from $550.00) on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Monday, December 18th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $579.33.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 0.79. The company has a market cap of $456.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.75, a P/E/G ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 0.54. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $503.10 and a 200-day moving average price of $518.61.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 12th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.16 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.98 by $0.18. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 26.39% and a net margin of 6.02%. The firm had revenue of $94.43 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $92.13 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $5.34 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 27.82 EPS for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 19th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 11th were given a $1.88 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 8th. This represents a $7.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.52%. UnitedHealth Group’s payout ratio is 31.54%.

Insider Activity

In other UnitedHealth Group news, EVP Erin Mcsweeney sold 1,236 shares of UnitedHealth Group stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $483.48, for a total value of $597,581.28. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 9,364 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,527,306.72. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, CAO Thomas E. Roos sold 858 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $525.79, for a total value of $451,127.82. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 32,289 shares in the company, valued at $16,977,233.31. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Erin Mcsweeney sold 1,236 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $483.48, for a total value of $597,581.28. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 9,364 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,527,306.72. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.35% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Robbins Farley acquired a new stake in UnitedHealth Group during the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Richelieu Gestion SA bought a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. CGC Financial Services LLC lifted its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 1,000.0% during the 4th quarter. CGC Financial Services LLC now owns 55 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC bought a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, NewSquare Capital LLC grew its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 340.0% in the 3rd quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 66 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. 87.86% of the stock is currently 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.