UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) Stock Price Up 1.3% – Should You Buy?

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)’s share price traded up 1.3% on Friday . The stock traded as high as $331.89 and last traded at $331.7590. 4,303,826 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 63% from the average session volume of 11,618,598 shares. The stock had previously closed at $327.58.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have issued reports on UNH. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut UnitedHealth Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $333.00 target price for the company. in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $267.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 7th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $317.00 to $409.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 17th. Barclays lifted their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $352.00 to $386.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 9th. Finally, Bank of America raised their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $350.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Seventeen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, UnitedHealth Group currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $385.54.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 0.82. The stock has a market capitalization of $300.52 billion, a PE ratio of 17.32, a P/E/G ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 0.43. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $334.20 and its two-hundred day moving average is $318.80.

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

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 16th. Investors of record on Monday, December 8th were paid a $2.21 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 8th. This represents a $8.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.7%. UnitedHealth Group’s payout ratio is currently 46.14%.

Institutional Trading of UnitedHealth Group

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA acquired a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the second quarter valued at approximately $25,000. 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 valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Sagard Holdings Management Inc. purchased a new stake in UnitedHealth Group in the second quarter valued at $29,000. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC increased its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 69.4% during the third quarter. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC now owns 83 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. Finally, 1248 Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

UnitedHealth Group Company Profile

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.