UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) Shares Up 1.2% – Should You Buy?

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) shot up 1.2% during trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $287.40 and last traded at $285.5490. 4,798,249 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 51% from the average session volume of 9,713,473 shares. The stock had previously closed at $282.09.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently issued reports on UNH shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $425.00 to $389.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $411.00 to $409.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Oppenheimer dropped their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $415.00 to $385.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $418.00 to $340.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, Piper Sandler reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. One equities research 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 given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, 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 cap of $259.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.65, a PEG ratio of 1.30 and a beta of 0.41. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $303.36 and its 200-day moving average is $325.26. 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 announced 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 business had revenue of $113.73 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $113.38 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $6.81 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter 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 Announces Dividend

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

Institutional Trading of UnitedHealth Group

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in UNH. Norges Bank bought a new stake in UnitedHealth Group in the 4th quarter valued at $4,376,167,000. Capital Research Global Investors grew 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 valued at $4,503,419,000 after buying an additional 7,293,009 shares during the last quarter. Berkshire Hathaway Inc acquired a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the second quarter valued at approximately $1,572,193,000. Dodge & Cox grew its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 117.7% in the 2nd quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 8,750,560 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $2,729,912,000 after buying an additional 4,730,192 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capital World Investors increased its position in UnitedHealth Group by 18.8% during the third 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 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.