UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) Rating Lowered to "Hold" at Argus

Argus lowered shares of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday morning, Marketbeat Ratings reports.

A number of other research firms have also commented on UNH. HSBC raised UnitedHealth Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $595.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Erste Group Bank upgraded shares of UnitedHealth Group to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Truist Financial increased their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $610.00 to $660.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, April 11th. Finally, Mizuho upped their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $600.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have issued a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $603.05.

UnitedHealth Group Trading Down 0.8 %

NYSE UNH traded down $3.26 on Monday, reaching $424.70. The company had a trading volume of 7,608,478 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,452,390. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74. UnitedHealth Group has a 52 week low of $417.12 and a 52 week high of $630.73. The stock has a market cap of $388.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.40, a PEG ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 0.61. The stock's 50 day moving average is $506.92 and its 200-day moving average is $537.23.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 17th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $7.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $7.29 by ($0.09). The firm had revenue of $109.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $111.56 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 3.60% and a return on equity of 26.69%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $6.91 EPS. Equities analysts predict that UnitedHealth Group will post 29.54 earnings per share for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 18th. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th were paid a $2.10 dividend. This represents a $8.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.98%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 10th. UnitedHealth Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 35.18%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On UnitedHealth Group

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of UNH. Financial Management Professionals Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 0.8% during the first quarter. Financial Management Professionals Inc. now owns 2,224 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $1,165,000 after acquiring an additional 17 shares during the period. Western Pacific Wealth Management LP grew its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. Western Pacific Wealth Management LP now owns 902 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $456,000 after buying an additional 19 shares in the last quarter. MCF Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 2,578 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $1,304,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares during the period. Axiom Financial Strategies LLC raised its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 3.6% in the 4th quarter. Axiom Financial Strategies LLC now owns 575 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $291,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Richwood Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Richwood Investment Advisors LLC now owns 5,247 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $2,654,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. 87.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

UnitedHealth Group Company Profile

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.