UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) Rating Increased to Buy at StockNews.com

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) was upgraded by stock analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report issued on Tuesday.

Other research analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Hsbc Global Res cut shares of UnitedHealth Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Stephens dropped their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $632.00 to $605.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. KeyCorp initiated coverage on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Friday, October 11th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $675.00 price objective on the stock. TD Cowen upped their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $601.00 to $609.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 18th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised UnitedHealth Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $481.00 to $647.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $615.53.

UnitedHealth Group Trading Down 1.6 %

Shares of UNH stock traded down $10.24 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $615.01. 2,809,452 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,897,003. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $582.63 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $546.78. The firm has a market cap of $565.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.07, a P/E/G ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a current ratio of 0.91. UnitedHealth Group has a fifty-two week low of $436.38 and a fifty-two week high of $630.73.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, October 15th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $7.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $99.14 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $6.56 earnings per share. UnitedHealth Group’s quarterly revenue was up 9.2% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that UnitedHealth Group will post 27.61 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On UnitedHealth Group

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of UNH. Kathleen S. Wright Associates Inc. purchased a new stake in UnitedHealth Group during the 3rd quarter valued at $27,000. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates raised its position in UnitedHealth Group by 152.4% during the 3rd quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates now owns 53 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares during the last quarter. Macroview Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 671.4% in the 2nd quarter. Macroview Investment Management LLC now owns 54 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 47 shares during the last quarter. West Financial Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the third quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Delos Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 757.1% in the first quarter. Delos Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 60 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

UnitedHealth Group Company Profile

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.