UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) Trading Up 2.1% - Time to Buy?

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) shares rose 2.1% during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $438.85 and last traded at $436.30. Approximately 2,573,305 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 42% from the average daily volume of 4,414,380 shares. The stock had previously closed at $427.18.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UNH has been the subject of several research reports. StockNews.com upgraded shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Argus cut UnitedHealth Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday. Hsbc Global Res cut shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Oppenheimer dropped their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $640.00 to $600.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday. Finally, KeyCorp lowered their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $650.00 to $575.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday. Three investment 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $604.67.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Up 1.1 %

The company has a current ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $508.83 and a 200-day moving average price of $537.99. The stock has a market cap of $395.20 billion, a PE ratio of 27.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 0.61.

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

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 18th. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th were issued a $2.10 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 10th. This represents a $8.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.94%. UnitedHealth Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 35.18%.

Institutional Trading of UnitedHealth Group

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in UNH. Financial Management Professionals Inc. lifted its position in UnitedHealth Group by 0.8% in the 1st quarter. Financial Management Professionals Inc. now owns 2,224 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $1,165,000 after acquiring an additional 17 shares in the last quarter. Western Pacific Wealth Management LP increased its position in UnitedHealth Group by 2.2% in the fourth quarter. Western Pacific Wealth Management LP now owns 902 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $456,000 after buying an additional 19 shares during the last quarter. MCF Advisors LLC boosted its position in UnitedHealth Group by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 2,578 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $1,304,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the period. Axiom Financial Strategies LLC boosted its holdings 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 buying an additional 20 shares during the period. Finally, Richwood Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Richwood Investment Advisors LLC now owns 5,247 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $2,654,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. 87.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.

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