UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) Trading 1.4% Higher – Time to Buy?

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)’s stock price traded up 1.4% during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $347.90 and last traded at $346.5680. 4,930,802 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 33% from the average session volume of 7,329,077 shares. The stock had previously closed at $341.70.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $310.00 to $425.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 9th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $286.00 to $408.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective 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. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $325.00 to $395.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, September 12th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut shares of UnitedHealth Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $333.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $385.75.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Up 1.4%

The firm has a market cap of $313.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.09, a P/E/G ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.42. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $329.42 and its two-hundred day moving average is $320.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.82.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 28th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $2.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.87 by $0.05. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 4.04% and a return on equity of 19.23%. The business had revenue of $113.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $113.19 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $7.15 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 12.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 16th. Investors of record on Monday, December 8th were issued a dividend of $2.21 per share. This represents a $8.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 8th. UnitedHealth Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 46.14%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On UnitedHealth Group

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Murphy Pohlad Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 21.8% during the 2nd quarter. Murphy Pohlad Asset Management LLC now owns 4,425 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $1,380,000 after buying an additional 791 shares during the period. Carnegie Investment Counsel increased its position in UnitedHealth Group by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. Carnegie Investment Counsel now owns 105,621 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $36,471,000 after buying an additional 2,316 shares in the last quarter. Berkshire Hathaway Inc bought a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the second quarter worth approximately $1,572,193,000. Triumph Capital Management bought a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the second quarter valued at approximately $1,324,000. Finally, Wealth Effects LLC grew its position in UnitedHealth Group by 14.4% in the 2nd quarter. Wealth Effects LLC now owns 4,688 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $1,463,000 after purchasing an additional 591 shares during the period. 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.