UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) Trading Down 1.1% – Should You Sell?

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)’s stock price fell 1.1% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $267.18 and last traded at $267.6850. 6,170,944 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 37% from the average session volume of 9,846,203 shares. The stock had previously closed at $270.55.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Barclays dropped their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $391.00 to $327.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. Mizuho lowered their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $430.00 to $350.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $425.00 to $389.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, UBS Group decreased their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $430.00 to $410.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $372.13.

UnitedHealth Group Trading Down 1.1%

The firm has a market capitalization of $242.97 billion, a PE ratio of 20.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 0.41. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $293.25 and its 200-day simple moving average is $323.43. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $2.11 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.09 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $113.73 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $113.38 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 14.79% and a net margin of 2.69%.UnitedHealth Group’s quarterly revenue was up 12.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $6.81 EPS. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.750- EPS. Equities analysts expect that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 earnings per share for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 9th were paid a $2.21 dividend. This represents a $8.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 9th. UnitedHealth Group’s payout ratio is presently 67.02%.

Institutional Trading of UnitedHealth Group

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Guerra Advisors Inc purchased a new stake in UnitedHealth Group in the third quarter worth about $1,059,000. Berkshire Hathaway Inc bought a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $1,572,193,000. Carnegie Investment Counsel increased its position in UnitedHealth Group by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter. Carnegie Investment Counsel now owns 105,621 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $36,471,000 after buying an additional 2,316 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 48.9% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 5,790 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $1,806,000 after acquiring an additional 1,901 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Phoenix Financial Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 111.5% during the third quarter. Phoenix Financial Ltd. now owns 41,986 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $14,282,000 after acquiring an additional 22,137 shares in the last quarter. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About UnitedHealth Group

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.