UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) Shares Down 0.2%

Shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) were down 0.2% on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $481.57 and last traded at $483.57. Approximately 433,017 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 90% from the average daily volume of 4,136,359 shares. The stock had previously closed at $484.50.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have commented on UNH shares. Barclays upped their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $534.00 to $560.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 17th. Erste Group Bank restated a “hold” rating on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Wednesday, March 13th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $596.00 to $555.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 17th. HSBC upgraded UnitedHealth Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $580.00 target price for the company in a research report on Wednesday, June 5th. Finally, Truist Financial reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $600.00 target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Wednesday, April 17th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, UnitedHealth Group has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $579.74.

UnitedHealth Group Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $447.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.58. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $498.30 and a 200-day moving average price of $502.61. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 16th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.63 by $0.28. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 26.50% and a net margin of 4.05%. The firm had revenue of $99.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $99.23 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $6.26 EPS. UnitedHealth Group’s quarterly revenue was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 27.57 earnings per share for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 25th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 17th were issued a dividend of $2.10 per share. This is an increase from UnitedHealth Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.88. This represents a $8.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.73%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 17th. UnitedHealth Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 51.34%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of UNH. Richelieu Gestion SA purchased a new position in UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. CGC Financial Services LLC increased its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 1,000.0% in the 4th quarter. CGC Financial Services LLC now owns 55 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Delos Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake 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 purchasing an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC purchased a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA increased its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 148.1% in the 4th quarter. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA now owns 67 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.