UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) Stock Price Up 1% – What’s Next?

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) rose 1% on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $286.22 and last traded at $285.2450. Approximately 6,751,320 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 32% from the average daily volume of 9,904,188 shares. The stock had previously closed at $282.34.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently weighed in on UNH. Evercore upgraded UnitedHealth Group to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $408.00 to $361.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of UnitedHealth Group from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $400.00 to $370.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Mizuho lowered their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $430.00 to $350.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. One equities 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 assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $372.13.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $258.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $306.41 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $325.71. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $2.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.09 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $113.73 billion for 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%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $6.81 EPS. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.750- EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 earnings per share for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On UnitedHealth Group

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $4,376,167,000. Capital Research Global Investors boosted its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 126.9% in the 3rd quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 13,042,049 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $4,503,419,000 after purchasing an additional 7,293,009 shares during the period. Berkshire Hathaway Inc bought a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the second quarter valued at about $1,572,193,000. Dodge & Cox boosted its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 117.7% in the second quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 8,750,560 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $2,729,912,000 after acquiring an additional 4,730,192 shares during the period. Finally, Capital World Investors increased its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 18.8% during the 3rd quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 21,766,922 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $7,516,107,000 after acquiring an additional 3,439,182 shares during the period. 87.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.