KeyCorp Begins Coverage on UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH)

KeyCorp assumed coverage on shares of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) in a research note published on Friday morning, MarketBeat Ratings reports. The firm issued an overweight rating and a $675.00 target price on the healthcare conglomerate’s stock.

Several other equities analysts have also issued reports on the company. TD Cowen lifted their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $546.00 to $601.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 17th. StockNews.com downgraded UnitedHealth Group from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. Argus lifted their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $570.00 to $600.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. UBS Group increased their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $640.00 to $680.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Thursday, July 18th. Finally, Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $597.00 to $640.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, UnitedHealth Group has a consensus rating of Buy and an average target price of $617.37.

UnitedHealth Group Trading Up 0.1 %

NYSE UNH opened at $598.05 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $583.64 and a 200-day moving average of $531.35. UnitedHealth Group has a 1-year low of $436.38 and a 1-year high of $607.94. The company has a current ratio of 0.88, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. The firm has a market cap of $552.25 billion, a PE ratio of 39.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 0.58.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 16th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.80 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.66 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $98.86 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $98.73 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 26.55% and a net margin of 3.66%. The firm’s revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $6.14 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that UnitedHealth Group will post 27.69 EPS for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 24th. Investors of record on Monday, September 16th were given a dividend of $2.10 per share. This represents a $8.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.40%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 16th. UnitedHealth Group’s payout ratio is currently 55.70%.

Insider Buying and Selling at UnitedHealth Group

In related news, CAO Thomas E. Roos sold 2,851 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $569.88, for a total transaction of $1,624,727.88. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 29,501 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,812,029.88. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In other news, EVP Erin Mcsweeney sold 1,500 shares of UnitedHealth Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $579.03, for a total transaction of $868,545.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 7,785 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,507,748.55. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CAO Thomas E. Roos sold 2,851 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $569.88, for a total value of $1,624,727.88. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 29,501 shares in the company, valued at $16,812,029.88. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of UnitedHealth Group

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Kathleen S. Wright Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the third quarter worth approximately $27,000. Macroview Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 671.4% in the second quarter. Macroview Investment Management LLC now owns 54 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 47 shares during the last quarter. Delos Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 757.1% during the 1st quarter. Delos Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 60 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. Bbjs Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Global Wealth Strategies & Associates increased its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 152.4% in the third 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 during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.86% of the company’s stock.

About UnitedHealth Group

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.