UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) has received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-seven research firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $455.9231.

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Leerink Partners raised their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $400.00 to $462.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 17th. Robert W. Baird raised UnitedHealth Group from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $287.00 to $453.00 in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $429.00 to $441.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, July 20th. HSBC boosted their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $300.00 to $380.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Finally, DA Davidson set a $512.00 price objective on UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st.

UnitedHealth Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:UNH opened at $413.12 on Thursday. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $413.12 and its 200-day simple moving average is $349.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.80. The firm has a market capitalization of $375.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.62. UnitedHealth Group has a 12 month low of $239.50 and a 12 month high of $461.62.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 16th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.94 by $1.44. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 16.53% and a net margin of 3.14%.The business had revenue of $112.03 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $110.81 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $4.08 EPS. The business’s revenue was up .4% on a year-over-year basis. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 19.500-20.000 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that UnitedHealth Group will post 19.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 23rd. Investors of record on Monday, June 15th were issued a dividend of $2.32 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 15th. This is an increase from UnitedHealth Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.21. This represents a $9.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.2%. UnitedHealth Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 59.72%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On UnitedHealth Group

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Ridgecrest Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the second quarter valued at approximately $232,000. WPG Advisers LLC raised its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 28.0% during the 2nd quarter. WPG Advisers LLC now owns 412 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $171,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares during the period. ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the second quarter worth $95,000. Evernest Financial Advisors LLC raised its position in UnitedHealth Group by 8.7% during the second quarter. Evernest Financial Advisors LLC now owns 2,280 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $948,000 after buying an additional 183 shares during the period. Finally, Strata Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in UnitedHealth Group during the 2nd quarter worth about $369,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.86% of the company’s stock.

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.