UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) Trading Down 2.7% – Time to Sell?

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)’s share price fell 2.7% during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as low as $281.67 and last traded at $282.2280. 7,225,927 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 31% from the average session volume of 10,458,969 shares. The stock had previously closed at $290.00.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on UNH shares. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $411.00 to $409.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Leerink Partners dropped their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $410.00 to $345.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. KeyCorp reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Mizuho cut their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $430.00 to $350.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, Barclays lowered their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $391.00 to $327.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $372.13.

UnitedHealth Group Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $255.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.40, a PEG ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 0.41. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $316.85 and a 200 day moving average price of $325.30. 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 posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 27th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $2.11 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 business had revenue of $113.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $113.38 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $6.81 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 12.3% compared to the same quarter last year. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.750- EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $4,376,167,000. Capital Research Global Investors grew its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 126.9% during the third quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 13,042,049 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $4,503,419,000 after buying an additional 7,293,009 shares in the last quarter. Berkshire Hathaway Inc acquired a new position in UnitedHealth Group during the second quarter worth about $1,572,193,000. Dodge & Cox raised 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 acquiring an additional 4,730,192 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Capital World Investors grew its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 18.8% in the third quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 21,766,922 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $7,516,107,000 after purchasing an additional 3,439,182 shares in the last quarter. 87.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About UnitedHealth Group

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.