UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) Stock Price Up 1%

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) shares traded up 1% during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $600.63 and last traded at $599.95. 781,377 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 81% from the average session volume of 4,048,249 shares. The stock had previously closed at $594.10.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on UNH shares. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $595.00 to $615.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 17th. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $640.00 to $680.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 18th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $555.00 to $615.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 17th. StockNews.com downgraded UnitedHealth Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday. Finally, HSBC upped their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $580.00 to $610.00 in a research note on Thursday, July 18th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $614.17.

UnitedHealth Group Price Performance

The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $564.99 and its 200 day simple moving average is $516.56. The company has a market capitalization of $542.80 billion, a PE ratio of 36.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 16th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.66 by $0.14. The business had revenue of $98.86 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $98.73 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 26.55% and a net margin of 3.66%. The business’s revenue was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $6.14 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 27.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 24th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 16th will be issued a $2.10 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 16th. This represents a $8.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.42%. UnitedHealth Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 51.34%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CAO Thomas E. Roos sold 2,851 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $569.88, for a total value of $1,624,727.88. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 29,501 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,812,029.88. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other news, CAO Thomas E. Roos sold 2,851 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $569.88, for a total value of $1,624,727.88. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 29,501 shares in the company, valued at $16,812,029.88. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Erin Mcsweeney sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $579.03, for a total transaction of $868,545.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 7,785 shares in the company, valued at $4,507,748.55. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.33% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On UnitedHealth Group

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Macroview Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 671.4% during the second quarter. Macroview Investment Management LLC now owns 54 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 47 shares during the last quarter. Delos Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 757.1% in the 1st quarter. Delos Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 60 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC acquired a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Bbjs Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the 2nd quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Signature Resources Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 40.0% during the second quarter. Signature Resources Capital Management LLC now owns 63 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 18 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.86% of the company’s stock.

About UnitedHealth Group

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.