UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) Trading Up 0.8% - Here's What Happened

Shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) were up 0.8% during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $521.25 and last traded at $519.99. Approximately 2,813,929 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 29% from the average daily volume of 3,962,921 shares. The stock had previously closed at $515.76.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday. Stephens upped their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $605.00 to $675.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Hsbc Global Res downgraded UnitedHealth Group from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. KeyCorp started coverage on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Friday, October 11th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $675.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $615.00 to $595.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $626.84.

UnitedHealth Group Price Performance

The company has a market cap of $484.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.88, a P/E/G ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 0.58. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $583.29 and its 200-day simple moving average is $559.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 0.91 and a quick ratio of 0.91.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 15th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $7.15 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $7.00 by $0.15. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 26.37% and a net margin of 3.63%. The firm had revenue of $100.82 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $99.14 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $6.56 EPS. UnitedHealth Group's quarterly revenue was up 9.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 27.61 EPS for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 17th. Investors of record on Monday, December 9th will be issued a $2.10 dividend. This represents a $8.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.60%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 9th. UnitedHealth Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 54.72%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On UnitedHealth Group

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Coronation Fund Managers Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 1.4% in the second quarter. Coronation Fund Managers Ltd. now owns 94,397 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $48,073,000 after acquiring an additional 1,261 shares in the last quarter. Pure Financial Advisors LLC boosted its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 1.7% during the second quarter. Pure Financial Advisors LLC now owns 4,469 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $2,276,000 after buying an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. TruNorth Capital Management LLC raised its position in UnitedHealth Group by 262.5% in the second quarter. TruNorth Capital Management LLC now owns 116 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $59,000 after acquiring an additional 84 shares in the last quarter. Old Port Advisors grew its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 4.5% in the 2nd quarter. Old Port Advisors now owns 943 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $480,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rappaport Reiches Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 2.8% during the second quarter. Rappaport Reiches Capital Management LLC now owns 1,081 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $551,000 after buying an additional 29 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.86% of the company's stock.

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.

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