UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) Shares Down 0.9% – Here’s What Happened

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) was down 0.9% during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as low as $511.93 and last traded at $515.96. Approximately 1,664,982 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 58% from the average daily volume of 3,976,409 shares. The stock had previously closed at $520.48.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on UNH. KeyCorp started coverage on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Friday, October 11th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $675.00 target price on the stock. Bank of America dropped their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $675.00 to $650.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. TD Cowen boosted their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $601.00 to $609.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 18th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $595.00 to $625.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald raised their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $591.00 to $644.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $626.84.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Down 4.2 %

The firm has a market capitalization of $458.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.61, a PEG ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 0.91 and a quick ratio of 0.91. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $581.88 and its two-hundred day moving average is $560.31.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 15th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $7.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.00 by $0.15. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 26.37% and a net margin of 3.63%. The company had revenue of $100.82 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $99.14 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $6.56 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 9.2% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 27.61 EPS for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 9th will be issued a dividend of $2.10 per share. This represents a $8.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.69%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 9th. UnitedHealth Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 54.72%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC increased its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 29.1% during the third quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC now owns 783,143 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $457,888,000 after purchasing an additional 176,543 shares during the period. 1ST Source Bank boosted its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 5.6% in the third quarter. 1ST Source Bank now owns 1,687 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $986,000 after buying an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. Garden State Investment Advisory Services LLC increased its position in UnitedHealth Group by 8.4% during the 3rd quarter. Garden State Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 1,137 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $668,000 after purchasing an additional 88 shares in the last quarter. Copley Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the 3rd quarter valued at $786,000. Finally, Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas acquired a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the third quarter valued at approximately $44,742,000. Institutional investors own 87.86% of the company’s stock.

About UnitedHealth Group

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated operates as a diversified health care company in the United States. The company operates through four segments: UnitedHealthcare, Optum Health, Optum Insight, and Optum Rx. The UnitedHealthcare segment offers consumer-oriented health benefit plans and services for national employers, public sector employers, mid-sized employers, small businesses, and individuals; health care coverage, and health and well-being services to individuals age 50 and older addressing their needs; Medicaid plans, children's health insurance and health care programs; and health and dental benefits, and hospital and clinical services, as well as health care benefits products and services to state programs caring for the economically disadvantaged, medically underserved, and those without the benefit of employer-funded health care coverage.