UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) Upgraded to Buy at StockNews.com

by · The Cerbat Gem

StockNews.com upgraded shares of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH – Free Report) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note released on Monday morning.

Several other equities analysts have also recently commented on UNH. Barclays raised their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $603.00 to $655.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. Bank of America cut their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $675.00 to $650.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Hsbc Global Res downgraded UnitedHealth Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Stephens boosted their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $605.00 to $675.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $595.00 to $625.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, UnitedHealth Group presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $626.84.

Get Our Latest Report on UnitedHealth Group

UnitedHealth Group Stock Performance

UNH stock opened at $533.40 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 0.91. UnitedHealth Group has a 1 year low of $436.38 and a 1 year high of $630.73. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $586.00 and its two-hundred day moving average is $559.79. The stock has a market capitalization of $490.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.75, a PEG ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.58.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 15th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $7.15 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.00 by $0.15. The company had revenue of $100.82 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $99.14 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 26.37% and a net margin of 3.63%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $6.56 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that UnitedHealth Group will post 27.6 EPS for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 9th will be paid a dividend of $2.10 per share. This represents a $8.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.57%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 9th. UnitedHealth Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 54.72%.

Institutional Trading of UnitedHealth Group

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of UNH. Kathleen S. Wright Associates Inc. acquired a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the third quarter worth approximately $27,000. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates raised its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 152.4% during the 3rd quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates now owns 53 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. Macroview Investment Management LLC increased its position in UnitedHealth Group by 671.4% during the second quarter. Macroview Investment Management LLC now owns 54 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 47 shares during the last quarter. West Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the third quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Signature Resources Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 40.0% during the 2nd quarter. Signature Resources Capital Management LLC now owns 63 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 18 shares during the last quarter. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

UnitedHealth Group Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

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.

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