UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) Trading Down 0.9%

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)’s share price fell 0.9% on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $483.38 and last traded at $484.78. 609,725 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 86% from the average session volume of 4,432,396 shares. The stock had previously closed at $489.03.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have commented on the company. HSBC upgraded UnitedHealth Group from a “reduce” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $460.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 4th. StockNews.com lowered UnitedHealth Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, April 18th. Truist Financial reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $600.00 price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Wednesday, April 17th. Oppenheimer reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $610.00 price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Wednesday, January 17th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $600.00 to $525.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 8th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, UnitedHealth Group currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $570.05.

UnitedHealth Group Price Performance

The company has a fifty day moving average of $485.19 and a 200-day moving average of $513.81. The stock has a market cap of $444.91 billion, a PE ratio of 29.63, a P/E/G ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 16th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.91 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.63 by $0.28. The firm had revenue of $99.80 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $99.23 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 4.05% and a return on equity of 26.50%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $6.26 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 27.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 19th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 11th were given a dividend of $1.88 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 8th. This represents a $7.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.56%. UnitedHealth Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 45.97%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On UnitedHealth Group

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of UNH. Cordatus Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 24.9% in the 1st quarter. Cordatus Wealth Management LLC now owns 9,936 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $4,915,000 after acquiring an additional 1,978 shares during the period. Violich Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 5.9% in the 1st quarter. Violich Capital Management Inc. now owns 35,840 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $17,730,000 after purchasing an additional 1,990 shares in the last quarter. Woodward Diversified Capital LLC lifted its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 32.3% in the first quarter. Woodward Diversified Capital LLC now owns 516 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $255,000 after purchasing an additional 126 shares in the last quarter. Summit Place Financial Advisors LLC increased its position in UnitedHealth Group by 3.7% during the first quarter. Summit Place Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,415 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $700,000 after buying an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Concord Wealth Partners lifted its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 24.0% in the first quarter. Concord Wealth Partners now owns 5,940 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $2,939,000 after acquiring an additional 1,150 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.86% of the company’s stock.

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.