UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) Sees Large Volume Increase – Here’s Why

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) shares saw strong trading volume on Tuesday . 7,979,945 shares traded hands during trading, an increase of 30% from the previous session’s volume of 6,122,074 shares.The stock last traded at $316.35 and had previously closed at $315.89.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UNH has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $677.00 to $351.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. Mizuho cut their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $515.00 to $350.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Wolfe Research decreased their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $501.00 to $390.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $525.00 to $405.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 15th. Finally, Robert W. Baird reduced their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $510.00 to $356.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, UnitedHealth Group has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $451.43.

UnitedHealth Group Trading Up 1.7%

The firm’s 50 day moving average is $467.51 and its two-hundred day moving average is $511.49. 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 market cap of $291.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.74, a PEG ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 0.56.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 17th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $7.20 earnings per share 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 company had revenue of $109.58 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $111.56 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $6.91 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 EPS for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 18th. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th were issued a dividend of $2.10 per share. This represents a $8.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.61%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 10th. UnitedHealth Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 35.18%.

Insider Buying and Selling at UnitedHealth Group

In other UnitedHealth Group news, CEO Stephen J. Hemsley acquired 86,700 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 16th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $288.57 per share, for a total transaction of $25,019,019.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer now owns 679,493 shares in the company, valued at $196,081,295.01. This trade represents a 14.63% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director John H. Noseworthy acquired 300 shares of UnitedHealth Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 14th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $312.16 per share, with a total value of $93,648.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 6,063 shares in the company, valued at $1,892,626.08. This represents a 5.21% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders purchased 109,408 shares of company stock worth $31,607,768. 0.33% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On UnitedHealth Group

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. NewSquare Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Hurley Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Bayforest Capital Ltd grew its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 685.7% in the 1st quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd now owns 55 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the 4th quarter worth $30,000. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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.