UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) Raised to “Buy” at StockNews.com

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

Several other research analysts also recently weighed in on UNH. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $545.00 to $562.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 19th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $525.00 to $630.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. Piper Sandler increased their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $566.00 to $571.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $546.00 to $559.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 30th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $591.00 price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Tuesday, July 23rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, UnitedHealth Group presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $614.17.

UnitedHealth Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE UNH opened at $579.44 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.88, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. The stock has a market cap of $533.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.42, a P/E/G ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 0.59. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $526.09 and a two-hundred day moving average of $506.41. UnitedHealth Group has a twelve month low of $436.38 and a twelve month high of $591.54.

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

Insider Activity at UnitedHealth Group

In related news, EVP Erin Mcsweeney sold 1,500 shares of UnitedHealth Group stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $579.03, for a total transaction of $868,545.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 7,785 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,507,748.55. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, EVP Erin Mcsweeney sold 1,500 shares of the firm’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 transaction of $868,545.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 7,785 shares in the company, valued at $4,507,748.55. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Thomas E. Roos sold 2,851 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $569.88, for a total value of $1,624,727.88. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 29,501 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,812,029.88. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.33% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On UnitedHealth Group

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Fred Alger Management LLC raised its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 16.7% during the second quarter. Fred Alger Management LLC now owns 103,957 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $52,941,000 after purchasing an additional 14,880 shares during the period. Lone Pine Capital LLC acquired a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the second quarter valued at $480,903,000. Insigneo Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 9.0% during the second quarter. Insigneo Advisory Services LLC now owns 10,890 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $5,546,000 after acquiring an additional 897 shares during the last quarter. BlackBarn Capital Partners LP lifted its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 6.7% in the 2nd quarter. BlackBarn Capital Partners LP now owns 32,000 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $16,296,000 after purchasing an additional 2,000 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Strata Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in UnitedHealth Group during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $453,000. 87.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.