UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) Stock Price Up 3% – Still a Buy?

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)’s share price rose 3% during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $503.79 and last traded at $500.15. Approximately 3,040,775 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 25% from the average daily volume of 4,044,084 shares. The stock had previously closed at $485.52.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have commented on UNH shares. TD Cowen boosted their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $601.00 to $609.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 18th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $615.00 to $595.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Truist Financial reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $625.00 price objective (down previously from $640.00) on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. 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 target price on the stock. Finally, Barclays raised their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $603.00 to $655.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $626.84.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Up 3.8 %

The company has a market capitalization of $463.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a current ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $578.25 and its 200 day moving average is $560.35.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 15th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $7.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.00 by $0.15. The business had revenue of $100.82 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $99.14 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 3.63% and a return on equity of 26.37%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 9.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $6.56 EPS. Research analysts predict that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 27.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 17th. Investors of record on Monday, December 9th were given a $2.10 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 9th. This represents a $8.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.67%. UnitedHealth Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 54.72%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On UnitedHealth Group

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. American National Bank boosted its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 8.6% in the second quarter. American National Bank now owns 26,971 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $13,735,000 after purchasing an additional 2,138 shares during the period. Keeler Thomas Management LLC raised its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 3.2% in the 2nd quarter. Keeler Thomas Management LLC now owns 11,490 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $5,851,000 after acquiring an additional 354 shares during the last quarter. Moss Adams Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 11.2% in the 2nd quarter. Moss Adams Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,926 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $1,999,000 after acquiring an additional 396 shares during the last quarter. Harbour Trust & Investment Management Co raised its position in UnitedHealth Group by 12.7% during the second quarter. Harbour Trust & Investment Management Co now owns 13,809 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $7,032,000 after acquiring an additional 1,561 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Griffin Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 3.4% in the 2nd quarter. Griffin Asset Management Inc. now owns 15,975 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $8,135,000 after purchasing an additional 520 shares during the period. 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.