Analysts Set UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) PT at $615.53

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) has earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-two ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12 month target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $615.53.

A number of analysts have commented on UNH shares. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $615.00 to $595.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Truist Financial reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $625.00 price objective (down from $640.00) on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Barclays cut their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $604.00 to $603.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Stephens cut their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $632.00 to $605.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Hsbc Global Res cut shares of UnitedHealth Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On UnitedHealth Group

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Kathleen S. Wright Associates Inc. bought a new position in UnitedHealth Group during the third quarter worth $27,000. Macroview Investment Management LLC raised its stake 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. Delos Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 757.1% in the first quarter. Delos Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 60 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. Bbjs Financial Advisors LLC bought a new stake in UnitedHealth Group in the second quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Global Wealth Strategies & Associates increased its stake in 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 in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.86% of the company’s stock.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Performance

NYSE:UNH opened at $593.30 on Tuesday. UnitedHealth Group has a 1 year low of $436.38 and a 1 year high of $630.73. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $582.99 and a 200-day moving average of $548.03. The company has a current ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74. The stock has a market capitalization of $546.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 0.58.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last issued 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. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 3.63% and a return on equity of 26.37%. The business had revenue of $100.82 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $99.14 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $6.56 earnings per share. UnitedHealth Group’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that UnitedHealth Group will post 27.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 17th. Investors of record on Monday, December 9th will be paid a $2.10 dividend. This represents a $8.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.42%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 9th. UnitedHealth Group’s payout ratio is 54.72%.

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.