UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) Stock Price Up 2.3% – Time to Buy?

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) shares were up 2.3% during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $339.89 and last traded at $338.4720. Approximately 7,470,690 shares traded hands during trading, an increase of 10% from the average daily volume of 6,821,103 shares. The stock had previously closed at $331.02.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UNH has been the subject of several analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on UnitedHealth Group in a report on Tuesday, October 14th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $406.00 price objective for the company. Barclays increased their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $386.00 to $391.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. Leerink Partners set a $410.00 price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $286.00 to $408.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut UnitedHealth Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $333.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $385.75.

UnitedHealth Group Trading Up 2.3%

The business’s 50-day moving average is $330.53 and its 200 day moving average is $322.35. The firm has a market capitalization of $306.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.82.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 28th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $2.92 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.87 by $0.05. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 4.04% and a return on equity of 19.23%. The company had revenue of $113.16 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $113.19 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $7.15 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 12.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts anticipate that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 8th were issued a $2.21 dividend. This represents a $8.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 8th. UnitedHealth Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 46.14%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On UnitedHealth Group

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 3.2% in the fourth quarter. Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. now owns 1,080 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $357,000 after acquiring an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. Secure Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Secure Asset Management LLC now owns 2,040 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $674,000 after buying an additional 32 shares during the last quarter. Independence Bank of Kentucky lifted its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 6.3% in the 4th quarter. Independence Bank of Kentucky now owns 8,441 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $2,786,000 after purchasing an additional 501 shares during the period. Realta Investment Advisors raised its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 9.3% during the fourth quarter. Realta Investment Advisors now owns 2,157 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $712,000 after buying an additional 183 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ethos Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 14.5% during the 4th quarter. Ethos Financial Group LLC now owns 1,928 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $636,000 after acquiring an additional 244 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.86% of the company’s stock.

About UnitedHealth Group

UnitedHealth Group Inc is a diversified health care company headquartered in Minnetonka, Minnesota, that operates two primary business platforms: UnitedHealthcare and Optum. Founded in 1977, the company provides a broad range of health benefits and health care services to individuals, employers, governmental entities and other organizations. Its operations span commercial employer-sponsored plans, individual and Medicare and Medicaid programs, and services for customers and health systems in the United States and selected international markets.

UnitedHealthcare is the company’s benefits business, administering health plans and networks, managing provider relationships, and offering coverage products for employers, individuals, and government-sponsored programs.