UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Hold” by the twenty-nine research firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and seventeen have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $385.5417.

UNH has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $440.00 target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Tuesday, August 26th. Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $350.00 to $390.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $267.00 to $400.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 7th. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $433.00 to $440.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $378.00 to $430.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th.

UnitedHealth Group Trading Up 0.4%

UNH traded up $1.36 on Wednesday, hitting $326.16. The company had a trading volume of 488,175 shares, compared to its average volume of 11,640,655. The company has a market cap of $295.45 billion, a PE ratio of 16.98, a PEG ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. UnitedHealth Group has a 12-month low of $234.60 and a 12-month high of $606.36. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $335.45 and its 200 day simple moving average is $318.68.

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

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

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

Institutional Trading of UnitedHealth Group

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in UNH. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA purchased a new stake in UnitedHealth Group in the 2nd quarter valued at $25,000. Bayforest Capital Ltd boosted its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 685.7% during the first 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 period. Sagard Holdings Management Inc. acquired a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the 2nd quarter valued at about $29,000. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC lifted its position in UnitedHealth Group by 69.4% during the 3rd quarter. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC now owns 83 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares during the period. Finally, 1248 Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the third quarter worth approximately $29,000. 87.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.