UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) Stock Price Up 1.8% – Here’s What Happened

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)’s stock price shot up 1.8% during trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $282.88 and last traded at $282.0230. 4,712,463 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 52% from the average session volume of 9,813,214 shares. The stock had previously closed at $277.05.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have weighed in on UNH shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $425.00 to $389.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $400.00 to $370.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 30th. KeyCorp restated an “overweight” rating on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $391.00 to $327.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Mizuho reduced their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $430.00 to $350.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, UnitedHealth Group presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $372.13.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Performance

The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $304.45 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $325.09. The firm has a market capitalization of $255.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.38, a PEG ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 0.41.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 27th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $2.11 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.09 by $0.02. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 2.69% and a return on equity of 14.79%. The firm had revenue of $113.73 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $113.38 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $6.81 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 12.3% on a year-over-year basis. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.750- EPS. On average, analysts forecast that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 EPS for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 9th will be issued a dividend of $2.21 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 9th. This represents a $8.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.1%. UnitedHealth Group’s payout ratio is currently 67.02%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On UnitedHealth Group

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in UNH. Sarver Vrooman Wealth Advisors acquired a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Beacon Financial Strategies CORP acquired a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Anfield Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 220.0% in the fourth quarter. Anfield Capital Management LLC now owns 80 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Joseph Group Capital Management purchased a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Finally, Nalls Sherbakoff Group LLC acquired a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the 4th quarter worth $27,000. 87.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.