UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) have received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-eight research firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, seventeen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $372.1250.

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on UNH shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $425.00 to $389.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $411.00 to $409.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $400.00 to $370.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut shares of UnitedHealth Group from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research note on Monday, March 2nd.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA purchased a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the 2nd quarter worth $25,000. Sarver Vrooman Wealth Advisors bought a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Beacon Financial Strategies CORP bought a new stake in UnitedHealth Group during the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Anfield Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 220.0% in the 4th quarter. Anfield Capital Management LLC now owns 80 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Joseph Group Capital Management bought a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Performance

Shares of UNH traded down $7.53 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $278.95. The stock had a trading volume of 1,196,653 shares, compared to its average volume of 9,846,740. UnitedHealth Group has a 12 month low of $234.60 and a 12 month high of $606.36. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $308.28 and a 200 day moving average price of $326.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.79. The firm has a market capitalization of $253.20 billion, a PE ratio of 21.15, a PEG ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 0.41.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $2.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.09 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $113.73 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $113.38 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 14.79% and a net margin of 2.69%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 12.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $6.81 EPS. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.750- EPS. Analysts anticipate that UnitedHealth Group will post 29.54 EPS for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 9th will be paid a dividend of $2.21 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 9th. This represents a $8.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.2%. UnitedHealth Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 67.02%.

About UnitedHealth Group

UnitedHealth Group Inc is a diversified health care company headquartered in Minnetonka, Minnesota, that operates two primary business platforms: UnitedHealthcare and Optum. Founded in 1977, the company provides a broad range of health benefits and health care services to individuals, employers, governmental entities and other organizations. Its operations span commercial employer-sponsored plans, individual and Medicare and Medicaid programs, and services for customers and health systems in the United States and selected international markets.

UnitedHealthcare is the company’s benefits business, administering health plans and networks, managing provider relationships, and offering coverage products for employers, individuals, and government-sponsored programs.