UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) Shares Down 1.4% – Time to Sell?

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)’s share price dropped 1.4% during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $288.34 and last traded at $289.04. Approximately 6,040,232 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 45% from the average daily volume of 10,976,125 shares. The stock had previously closed at $293.19.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

UNH has been the subject of several research analyst reports. UBS Group lowered their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $430.00 to $410.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Truist Financial dropped their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $410.00 to $370.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 2nd. KeyCorp reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, Mizuho lowered their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $430.00 to $350.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $372.13.

UnitedHealth Group Price Performance

The company has a market cap of $262.14 billion, a PE ratio of 21.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 0.41. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $317.88 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $323.89. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.82 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 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.09 by $0.02. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 14.79% and a net margin of 2.69%.The firm had revenue of $113.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $113.38 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $6.81 earnings per share. UnitedHealth Group’s quarterly revenue was up 12.3% on a year-over-year basis. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.750- EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On UnitedHealth Group

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 91,600,260 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $30,238,162,000 after buying an additional 995,210 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 45,232,170 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $14,931,592,000 after purchasing an additional 1,119,834 shares in the last quarter. Capital World Investors increased its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 3.8% during the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 22,591,042 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $7,457,723,000 after purchasing an additional 824,120 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 3.3% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 21,312,182 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $6,624,411,000 after buying an additional 675,075 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its position in UnitedHealth Group by 3.7% during the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 18,829,054 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $6,215,660,000 after buying an additional 680,077 shares in the last quarter. 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.