UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) Shares Down 0.3% – Should You Sell?

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)’s share price was down 0.3% on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $500.59 and last traded at $504.60. Approximately 680,809 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 83% from the average daily volume of 4,102,132 shares. The stock had previously closed at $506.34.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UNH has been the topic of several research reports. Bank of America dropped their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $675.00 to $650.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $603.00 to $655.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. KeyCorp started coverage on UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Friday, October 11th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $675.00 price target for the company. StockNews.com upgraded shares of UnitedHealth Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 9th. Finally, HSBC downgraded UnitedHealth Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Three research 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, UnitedHealth Group currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $626.84.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Down 0.0 %

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 business’s 50-day simple moving average is $568.00 and its 200 day simple moving average is $559.99. The firm has a market cap of $465.76 billion, a PE ratio of 32.97, a P/E/G ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 0.58.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 15th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $7.15 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $7.00 by $0.15. The firm had revenue of $100.82 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $99.14 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 3.63% and a return on equity of 26.37%. UnitedHealth Group’s revenue was up 9.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $6.56 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 27.61 earnings per share for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 9th were given a dividend of $2.10 per share. This represents a $8.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.66%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 9th. UnitedHealth Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 54.72%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On UnitedHealth Group

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Kathleen S. Wright Associates Inc. purchased a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the third quarter worth about $27,000. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates lifted its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 32 shares during the period. West Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the third quarter worth $32,000. Quarry LP boosted its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 132.1% in the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 65 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. Finally, VitalStone Financial LLC raised its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 600.0% during the 2nd quarter. VitalStone Financial LLC now owns 70 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. 87.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

UnitedHealth Group Company Profile

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.