UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) Stock Price Up 1.3% – Still a Buy?

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on UNH shares. Leerink Partners set a $410.00 target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $310.00 to $425.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on UnitedHealth Group in a report on Tuesday, October 14th. They set a “buy” rating and a $406.00 price target for the company. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $267.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 7th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their price target 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. Seventeen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $385.54.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $300.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.32, a P/E/G ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 0.43. 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’s 50-day moving average price is $334.20 and its 200-day moving average price is $318.80.

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

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced 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 of this dividend was Monday, December 8th. This represents a $8.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.7%. UnitedHealth Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 46.14%.

Institutional Trading of UnitedHealth Group

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Murphy Pohlad Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 21.8% in the second quarter. Murphy Pohlad Asset Management LLC now owns 4,425 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $1,380,000 after buying an additional 791 shares during the last quarter. Berkshire Hathaway Inc acquired a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the second quarter valued at $1,572,193,000. Triumph Capital Management acquired a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the 2nd quarter worth about $1,324,000. Wealth Effects LLC grew its stake 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 buying an additional 591 shares during the last quarter. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc boosted its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 20.7% during the second quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 20,683 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $6,462,000 after acquiring an additional 3,545 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.86% of the company’s stock.

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.