UnitedHealth Group Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NYSE:UNH)

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) was the target of unusually large options trading on Tuesday. Stock investors purchased 234,071 call options on the company. This is an increase of approximately 40% compared to the average daily volume of 166,830 call options.

UnitedHealth Group Price Performance

UnitedHealth Group stock opened at $307.69 on Thursday. UnitedHealth Group has a one year low of $248.88 and a one year high of $630.73. The company has a market cap of $279.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.45. The business has a fifty day moving average of $329.50 and a two-hundred day moving average of $450.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 0.85.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 17th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $7.20 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.29 by ($0.09). The company had revenue of $109.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $111.56 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 26.29% and a net margin of 5.39%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $6.91 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that UnitedHealth Group will post 29.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 24th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 16th were paid a $2.21 dividend. This is a positive change from UnitedHealth Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.10. This represents a $8.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.87%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 16th. UnitedHealth Group’s payout ratio is currently 37.02%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UNH has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Hsbc Global Res lowered UnitedHealth Group from a “hold” rating to a “moderate sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $563.00 to $374.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Wells Fargo & Company reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Friday, June 6th. Wolfe Research decreased their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $501.00 to $390.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut UnitedHealth Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $415.57.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Timothy Patrick Flynn purchased 1,533 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 14th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $320.80 per share, for a total transaction of $491,786.40. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 6,033 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,935,386.40. The trade was a 34.07% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Stephen J. Hemsley purchased 86,700 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 16th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $288.57 per share, for a total transaction of $25,019,019.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer owned 679,493 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $196,081,295.01. This represents a 14.63% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have acquired 109,408 shares of company stock worth $31,607,768. Company insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On UnitedHealth Group

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. NewSquare Capital LLC bought a new position in UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. bought a new position in UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Hurley Capital LLC bought a new position in UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Bayforest Capital Ltd boosted its position in UnitedHealth Group by 685.7% during the 1st quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd now owns 55 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares during the period. Finally, Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd acquired a new position in UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter worth $30,000. 87.86% of the stock is 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.