TD Cowen Lowers UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) Price Target to $546.00

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) had its price target reduced by investment analysts at TD Cowen from $607.00 to $546.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “buy” rating on the healthcare conglomerate’s stock. TD Cowen’s price target points to a potential upside of 23.62% from the company’s previous close.

Several other research analysts have also recently commented on UNH. Oppenheimer reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $610.00 price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Wednesday, January 17th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $600.00 to $525.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday. Erste Group Bank reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Wednesday, March 13th. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $596.00 target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Thursday, February 29th. Finally, Barclays started coverage on UnitedHealth Group in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $551.00 price objective for the company. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $576.48.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Performance

UnitedHealth Group stock opened at $441.69 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $407.21 billion, a PE ratio of 18.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 0.54. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $493.72 and its 200 day moving average price is $516.67. UnitedHealth Group has a one year low of $441.48 and a one year high of $554.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 0.79.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 12th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.98 by $0.18. The firm had revenue of $94.43 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $92.13 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 6.02% and a return on equity of 26.39%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 14.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $5.34 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that UnitedHealth Group will post 27.75 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at UnitedHealth Group

In related news, CAO Thomas E. Roos sold 858 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $525.79, for a total transaction of $451,127.82. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 32,289 shares in the company, valued at $16,977,233.31. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, EVP Erin Mcsweeney sold 1,236 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $483.48, for a total value of $597,581.28. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 9,364 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,527,306.72. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CAO Thomas E. Roos sold 858 shares of UnitedHealth Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $525.79, for a total transaction of $451,127.82. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 32,289 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,977,233.31. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.35% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On UnitedHealth Group

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of UNH. Kraft Davis & Associates LLC boosted its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 3.4% in the third quarter. Kraft Davis & Associates LLC now owns 577 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $294,000 after buying an additional 19 shares during the period. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 1.6% during the 3rd quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,217 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $614,000 after purchasing an additional 19 shares during the period. Secure Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 0.8% during the third quarter. Secure Asset Management LLC now owns 2,456 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $1,238,000 after buying an additional 19 shares in the last quarter. Bensler LLC lifted its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Bensler LLC now owns 7,293 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $3,677,000 after acquiring an additional 19 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Texas Capital Bancshares Inc TX increased its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. Texas Capital Bancshares Inc TX now owns 1,695 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $855,000 after purchasing an additional 19 shares during the period. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.