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

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) was upgraded by research analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note issued on Wednesday.

A number of other brokerages have also recently issued reports on UNH. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded UnitedHealth Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $481.00 to $647.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. Truist Financial reissued a “buy” rating and set a $625.00 target price (down from $640.00) on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $615.00 to $610.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. Barclays increased their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $560.00 to $604.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $615.00 to $595.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, UnitedHealth Group currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $615.16.

UnitedHealth Group Trading Up 2.7 %

Shares of UNH stock traded up $15.01 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $571.30. 5,103,488 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,959,773. The firm has a market cap of $527.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.88, a P/E/G ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 0.58. UnitedHealth Group has a fifty-two week low of $436.38 and a fifty-two week high of $608.63. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $584.21 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $532.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a current ratio of 0.88.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 15th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $7.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.00 by $0.15. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 3.66% and a return on equity of 26.55%. The company had revenue of $100.82 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $99.14 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $6.56 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 9.2% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that UnitedHealth Group will post 27.68 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at UnitedHealth Group

In other news, EVP Erin Mcsweeney sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $579.03, for a total value of $868,545.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 7,785 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,507,748.55. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On UnitedHealth Group

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in UNH. Kathleen S. Wright Associates Inc. bought a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the third quarter valued at about $27,000. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates lifted its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 152.4% in the 3rd quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates now owns 53 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. Macroview Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 671.4% during the 2nd quarter. Macroview Investment Management LLC now owns 54 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. West Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the third quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Delos Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in UnitedHealth Group by 757.1% during the first quarter. Delos Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 60 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. 87.86% of the stock is currently 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.