UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) Stock Price Down 0.8% – Here’s Why

Shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) traded down 0.8% during trading on Friday . The company traded as low as $393.11 and last traded at $397.36. 3,816,409 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 35% from the average session volume of 5,843,933 shares. The stock had previously closed at $400.68.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have commented on UNH shares. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $642.00 to $560.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 21st. Erste Group Bank cut UnitedHealth Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $694.00 to $660.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Raymond James reissued a “strong-buy” rating and set a $540.00 target price (down previously from $635.00) on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Monday, April 21st. Finally, Argus lowered shares of UnitedHealth Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $596.86.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $362.92 billion, a PE ratio of 25.72, a PEG ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74. The company has a 50-day moving average of $495.85 and a 200 day moving average of $528.45.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 17th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $7.20 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $7.29 by ($0.09). UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 3.60% and a return on equity of 26.69%. The firm had revenue of $109.58 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $111.56 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $6.91 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 EPS for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 18th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th were given a $2.10 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 10th. This represents a $8.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.11%. UnitedHealth Group’s payout ratio is currently 35.18%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On UnitedHealth Group

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. NewSquare Capital LLC purchased a new position in UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Hurley Capital LLC bought a new stake in UnitedHealth Group in the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. AlphaMark Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd purchased a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. 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.