UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) Hits New 12-Month High – Should You Buy?

by · The Markets Daily

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH – Get Free Report)’s stock price reached a new 52-week high during trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $608.63 and last traded at $607.12, with a volume of 1591618 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $598.05.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have weighed in on UNH. HSBC increased their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $580.00 to $610.00 in a research note on Thursday, July 18th. Truist Financial restated a “buy” rating and set a $625.00 price target (down from $640.00) on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Wednesday. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded UnitedHealth Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $481.00 to $647.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. Stephens cut their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $632.00 to $605.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $615.00 to $610.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $615.16.

View Our Latest Analysis on UNH

UnitedHealth Group Stock Up 2.7 %

The company has a market cap of $527.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 0.58. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $584.11 and its 200 day simple moving average is $532.57. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 15th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $7.15 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.00 by $0.15. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 3.66% and a return on equity of 26.55%. The company had revenue of $100.82 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $99.14 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $6.56 EPS. UnitedHealth Group’s revenue was up 9.2% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 27.68 EPS for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 24th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 16th were given a dividend of $2.10 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 16th. This represents a $8.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.47%. UnitedHealth Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 55.70%.

Insider Transactions at UnitedHealth Group

In other UnitedHealth Group news, EVP Erin Mcsweeney sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $579.03, for a total value 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 $4,507,748.55. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.33% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Kathleen S. Wright Associates Inc. acquired a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the third quarter worth $27,000. Macroview Investment Management LLC grew its position in UnitedHealth Group by 671.4% in the second quarter. Macroview Investment Management LLC now owns 54 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. Delos Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 757.1% during the 1st quarter. Delos Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 60 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Bbjs Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in UnitedHealth Group in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Global Wealth Strategies & Associates raised its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 152.4% in the third quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates now owns 53 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares during the period. 87.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

UnitedHealth Group Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

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.

Featured Stories