UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) Shares Climb 1.8% – Here’s What Happened

Shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) traded up 1.8% on Tuesday. The stock traded as high as $406.72 and last traded at $404.8790. 4,443,396 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 38% from the average daily volume of 7,213,303 shares. The stock had previously closed at $397.62.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have commented on UNH. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $529.00 to $531.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 27th. Oppenheimer upped their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $420.00 to $500.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, July 17th. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $450.00 target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Thursday, October 15th. Mizuho upped their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $493.00 to $500.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 22nd. Finally, Zacks Research lowered UnitedHealth Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, September 14th. Twenty research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $463.93.

UnitedHealth Group Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a current ratio of 0.74. The company has a market capitalization of $362.78 billion, a PE ratio of 23.12, a P/E/G ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 0.51. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $390.68 and its 200-day simple moving average is $364.28.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, October 13th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $4.69 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.14 by $0.55. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 3.53% and a return on equity of 17.95%. The business had revenue of $112.72 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $111.31 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.59 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was down .4% compared to the same quarter last year. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 20.500- EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 20.61 earnings per share for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 7th will be paid a dividend of $2.32 per share. This represents a $9.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 7th. UnitedHealth Group’s dividend payout ratio is 53.00%.

Insider Buying and Selling at UnitedHealth Group

In related news, CEO Patrick Conway sold 1,169 shares of UnitedHealth Group stock in a transaction on Friday, August 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $390.00, for a total value of $455,910.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 15,328 shares in the company, valued at $5,977,920. This trade represents a 7.09% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.19% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Wellington Altus USA Inc. raised its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 97.1% during the 2nd quarter. Wellington Altus USA Inc. now owns 67 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. Security National Bank of SO Dak acquired a new stake in UnitedHealth Group in the second quarter valued at $29,000. Nvwm LLC lifted its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 89.2% in the third quarter. Nvwm LLC now owns 70 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 33 shares during the period. Aberdeen Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the 2nd quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Compass Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the 3rd quarter worth $29,000. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

UnitedHealth Group Company Profile

UnitedHealth Group is a diversified health care company that provides health benefits and health services through two main businesses: UnitedHealthcare and Optum. UnitedHealthcare offers health insurance and related benefit plans to individuals, employers and government programs, including Medicare and Medicaid. Optum provides services across the health care system, including care delivery, pharmacy services, pharmacy benefit management, health technology and data analytics. Its businesses serve consumers, health care providers, employers, health plans and government organizations.