UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) Stock Price Down 1.4% – Time to Sell?

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) shares fell 1.4% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $288.34 and last traded at $289.04. 6,040,232 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 45% from the average session volume of 10,976,125 shares. The stock had previously closed at $293.19.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UNH has been the subject of several recent research reports. Leerink Partners lowered their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $410.00 to $345.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $418.00 to $340.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. UBS Group decreased their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $430.00 to $410.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $411.00 to $409.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $372.13.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $261.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.98, a P/E/G ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 0.41. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $320.31 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $324.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.82.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 27th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $2.11 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.09 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $113.22 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $113.38 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 2.69% and a return on equity of 14.79%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 12.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $6.81 EPS. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.750- EPS. On average, research analysts predict that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On UnitedHealth Group

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 91,600,260 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $30,238,162,000 after buying an additional 995,210 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 45,232,170 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $14,931,592,000 after acquiring an additional 1,119,834 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors boosted its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 3.8% during the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 22,591,042 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $7,457,723,000 after purchasing an additional 824,120 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 3.3% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 21,312,182 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $6,624,411,000 after purchasing an additional 675,075 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 3.7% during the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 18,829,054 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $6,215,660,000 after buying an additional 680,077 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.86% of the company’s stock.

UnitedHealth Group Company Profile

UnitedHealth Group Inc is a diversified health care company headquartered in Minnetonka, Minnesota, that operates two primary business platforms: UnitedHealthcare and Optum. Founded in 1977, the company provides a broad range of health benefits and health care services to individuals, employers, governmental entities and other organizations. Its operations span commercial employer-sponsored plans, individual and Medicare and Medicaid programs, and services for customers and health systems in the United States and selected international markets.

UnitedHealthcare is the company’s benefits business, administering health plans and networks, managing provider relationships, and offering coverage products for employers, individuals, and government-sponsored programs.