UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) Stock Rating Upgraded by StockNews.com

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

A number of other research firms also recently weighed in on UNH. Truist Financial boosted their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $600.00 to $640.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 17th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $595.00 to $615.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an overweight rating and issued a $591.00 price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Monday, September 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $546.00 to $559.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research note on Thursday, May 30th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $560.00 to $604.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Buy and an average target price of $614.17.

UnitedHealth Group Trading Down 0.4 %

Shares of UNH opened at $575.00 on Tuesday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $577.10 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $520.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a current ratio of 0.88. 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. UnitedHealth Group has a 52-week low of $436.38 and a 52-week high of $607.94.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 16th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.80 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.66 by $0.14. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 3.66% and a return on equity of 26.55%. The firm had revenue of $98.86 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $98.73 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $6.14 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that UnitedHealth Group will post 27.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Institutional Trading of UnitedHealth Group

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in UNH. Macroview Investment Management LLC boosted its position in UnitedHealth Group by 671.4% during the second quarter. Macroview Investment Management LLC now owns 54 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares during the period. Delos Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 53 shares during the period. True Wealth Design LLC bought a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. Bbjs Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in UnitedHealth Group during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Signature Resources Capital Management LLC grew its holdings 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 buying an additional 18 shares in the last quarter. 87.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.