UnitedHealth Group (UNH) Set to Announce Earnings on Tuesday

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) will be releasing its earnings data before the market opens on Tuesday, April 16th. Analysts expect UnitedHealth Group to post earnings of $6.54 per share for the quarter. Parties interested in participating in the company’s conference call can do so using this link.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 12th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.98 by $0.18. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 26.39% and a net margin of 6.02%. The business had revenue of $94.43 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $92.13 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $5.34 EPS. UnitedHealth Group’s quarterly revenue was up 14.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect UnitedHealth Group to post $28 EPS for the current fiscal year and $31 EPS for the next fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Performance

Shares of UNH opened at $439.20 on Monday. 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 has a twelve month low of $436.38 and a twelve month high of $554.70. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $492.29 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $516.34. The firm has a market cap of $404.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.42, a PEG ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 0.54.

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 19th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 11th were given a $1.88 dividend. This represents a $7.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.71%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 8th. UnitedHealth Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 31.54%.

Insider Activity at UnitedHealth Group

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On UnitedHealth Group

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in UNH. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL purchased a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the 1st quarter worth approximately $35,000. Power Corp of Canada purchased a new stake in UnitedHealth Group during the first quarter valued at about $48,000. O Dell Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $74,000. Pacific Center for Financial Services purchased a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $77,000. Finally, Grayhawk Investment Strategies Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 84.0% in the fourth quarter. Grayhawk Investment Strategies Inc. now owns 173 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $91,000 after acquiring an additional 79 shares during the period. 87.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $618.00 to $584.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 5th. Erste Group Bank restated a “hold” rating on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Wednesday, March 13th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $591.00 price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. TD Cowen cut their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $607.00 to $546.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Finally, Bank of America reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $675.00 price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Thursday, March 7th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $573.80.

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.