UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) Trading 1.8% Higher After Analyst Upgrade

Shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) rose 1.8% during mid-day trading on Friday after Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price target on the stock from $545.00 to $562.00. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft currently has a buy rating on the stock. UnitedHealth Group traded as high as $504.75 and last traded at $502.10. Approximately 1,872,487 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 58% from the average daily volume of 4,485,528 shares. The stock had previously closed at $493.18.

UNH has been the topic of a number of other reports. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $596.00 to $555.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $618.00 to $584.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 5th. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $605.00 price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Thursday, February 8th. TD Cowen cut their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $607.00 to $546.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $591.00 price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report 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 presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $570.05.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On UnitedHealth Group

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Kraft Davis & Associates LLC increased its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 3.4% in 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 during the period. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 1.6% in the third quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,217 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $614,000 after purchasing an additional 19 shares during the period. Secure Asset Management LLC increased its stake 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 acquiring an additional 19 shares during the period. Bensler LLC increased its stake 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 acquiring an additional 19 shares during the period. Finally, Texas Capital Bancshares Inc TX increased its stake 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 acquiring an additional 19 shares during the period. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

UnitedHealth Group Trading Up 1.6 %

The stock has a market cap of $462.16 billion, a PE ratio of 30.64, a P/E/G ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 0.54. The business’s fifty day moving average is $488.63 and its 200 day moving average is $515.13. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

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

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 19th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 11th were given a $1.88 dividend. This represents a $7.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.50%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 8th. UnitedHealth Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 45.97%.

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.