UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) Stock Price Up 1.3% – Time to Buy?

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)’s stock price was up 1.3% on Wednesday. The company traded as high as $416.02 and last traded at $409.6340. 9,517,059 shares were traded during trading, an increase of 31% from the average daily volume of 7,241,977 shares. The stock had previously closed at $404.44.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on UNH shares. Erste Group Bank downgraded shares of UnitedHealth Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 27th. Piper Sandler upped their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $502.00 to $504.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 14th. KeyCorp reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Wednesday, October 14th. Evercore boosted their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $400.00 to $480.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Finally, Mizuho upped their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $493.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 22nd. Twenty equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, UnitedHealth Group presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $463.93.

UnitedHealth Group Trading Up 1.3%

The firm has a market cap of $367.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.39, a PEG ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 0.51. The business has a fifty day moving average of $390.47 and a two-hundred day moving average of $363.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a current ratio of 0.74.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 13th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $4.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.14 by $0.55. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 17.95% and a net margin of 3.53%. The business had revenue of $112.72 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $111.31 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.59 EPS. The business’s revenue was down .4% on a year-over-year basis. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 20.500- EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 20.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 22nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 14th were issued a $2.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 14th. This represents a $9.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.3%. UnitedHealth Group’s payout ratio is 53.00%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Patrick Conway sold 1,169 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $390.00, for a total transaction of $455,910.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 15,328 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,977,920. This represents a 7.09% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders own 0.19% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of UnitedHealth Group

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC boosted its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC now owns 30,935 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $11,356,000 after acquiring an additional 211 shares during the period. Leuthold Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the third quarter valued at approximately $925,000. Retirement Systems of Alabama lifted its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 140.0% during the third quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 457,848 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $168,067,000 after purchasing an additional 267,068 shares in the last quarter. Clear Wave Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 4.1% in the third quarter. Clear Wave Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,592 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $584,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares during the period. Finally, Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC grew its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 11.1% during the 3rd quarter. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC now owns 690 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $253,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.86% of the company’s stock.

About UnitedHealth Group

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE: UNH) is a diversified health care company that provides health insurance coverage, health care services, pharmacy services and health technology. Its businesses serve individuals, employers, government programs, health care providers and other organizations, primarily in the United States.

The company operates through two principal businesses. UnitedHealthcare offers health benefit plans and related services for employers, individuals, families and government-sponsored programs, including Medicare and Medicaid.