Piper Sandler Boosts UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) Price Target to $571.00

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) had its target price hoisted by Piper Sandler from $566.00 to $571.00 in a report issued on Wednesday morning, Benzinga reports. Piper Sandler currently has an overweight rating on the healthcare conglomerate’s stock.

Several other research firms have also issued reports on UNH. Bank of America restated a buy rating and issued a $675.00 price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Thursday, March 7th. Stephens restated an overweight rating and issued a $605.00 price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Thursday, February 8th. TD Cowen reduced their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $607.00 to $546.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $618.00 to $584.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 5th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an overweight rating and set a $591.00 price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $570.05.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Up 1.6 %

Shares of UNH opened at $501.29 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $462.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.64, a PEG ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 0.85. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $488.63 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $515.13. UnitedHealth Group has a 52 week low of $436.38 and a 52 week high of $554.70.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 16th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.91 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.63 by $0.28. The firm had revenue of $99.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $99.23 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 26.50% and a net margin of 4.05%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $6.26 EPS. On average, analysts predict that UnitedHealth Group will post 27.74 earnings per share for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 19th. Investors of record on Monday, March 11th were issued a dividend of $1.88 per share. This represents a $7.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.50%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 8th. UnitedHealth Group’s payout ratio is currently 45.97%.

Insider Transactions at UnitedHealth Group

In other news, CAO Thomas E. Roos sold 858 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $525.79, for a total transaction of $451,127.82. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 32,289 shares in the company, valued at $16,977,233.31. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, EVP Erin Mcsweeney sold 1,236 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $483.48, for a total value of $597,581.28. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 9,364 shares in the company, valued at $4,527,306.72. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CAO Thomas E. Roos sold 858 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $525.79, for a total value of $451,127.82. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 32,289 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,977,233.31. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.35% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Kraft Davis & Associates LLC raised its position in UnitedHealth Group by 3.4% during the third quarter. Kraft Davis & Associates LLC now owns 577 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $294,000 after purchasing an additional 19 shares in the last quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 1.6% during the third quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,217 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $614,000 after buying an additional 19 shares in the last quarter. Secure Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 0.8% during the third quarter. Secure Asset Management LLC now owns 2,456 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $1,238,000 after buying an additional 19 shares in the last quarter. Bensler LLC increased its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 0.3% during the third quarter. Bensler LLC now owns 7,293 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $3,677,000 after buying an additional 19 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Texas Capital Bancshares Inc TX increased its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 1.1% during the third quarter. Texas Capital Bancshares Inc TX now owns 1,695 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $855,000 after buying an additional 19 shares in the last quarter. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.