UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) Sets New 1-Year High – Time to Buy?

by · The Cerbat Gem

Shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH – Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week high on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $385.30 and last traded at $383.2390, with a volume of 412263 shares. The stock had previously closed at $384.44.

Key Stories Impacting UnitedHealth Group

Here are the key news stories impacting UnitedHealth Group this week:

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on UNH. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $405.00 to $411.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. TD Cowen raised their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $311.00 to $337.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. Barclays upped their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $327.00 to $373.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $340.00 to $373.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Finally, Argus upgraded UnitedHealth Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $400.00 target price on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have assigned a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $378.88.

Get Our Latest Research Report on UnitedHealth Group

UnitedHealth Group Stock Up 0.9%

The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The firm has a market capitalization of $352.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.26, a P/E/G ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 0.64. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $308.40 and its 200-day simple moving average is $317.22.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH – Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The healthcare conglomerate reported $7.23 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.76 by $0.47. The firm had revenue of $111.65 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $109.84 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 14.65% and a net margin of 2.68%.The company’s revenue was up 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $7.20 EPS. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 18.250- EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 18.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 9th were issued a $2.21 dividend. This represents a $8.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 9th. UnitedHealth Group’s payout ratio is 66.77%.

Insider Transactions at UnitedHealth Group

In other UnitedHealth Group news, CEO Patrick Hugh Conway sold 800 shares of UnitedHealth Group stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $355.00, for a total value of $284,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 17,805 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,320,775. The trade was a 4.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On UnitedHealth Group

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

About UnitedHealth Group

(Get Free Report)

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.

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