Q2 2024 EPS Estimates for UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) Cut by Zacks Research

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) – Stock analysts at Zacks Research lowered their Q2 2024 earnings per share estimates for UnitedHealth Group in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday, April 30th. Zacks Research analyst D. Chatterjee now forecasts that the healthcare conglomerate will post earnings of $6.77 per share for the quarter, down from their previous forecast of $6.91. The consensus estimate for UnitedHealth Group’s current full-year earnings is $27.61 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for UnitedHealth Group’s Q3 2024 earnings at $7.21 EPS, Q4 2024 earnings at $6.62 EPS, FY2024 earnings at $27.51 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $31.08 EPS, Q1 2026 earnings at $8.39 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $35.11 EPS.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 16th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.91 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.63 by $0.28. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 4.05% and a return on equity of 26.50%. The business had revenue of $99.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $99.23 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $6.26 earnings per share. UnitedHealth Group’s quarterly revenue was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis.

A number of other research analysts also recently issued reports on UNH. Truist Financial reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $600.00 price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Wednesday, April 17th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $545.00 to $562.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 19th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $596.00 to $555.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 17th. Piper Sandler upped their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $566.00 to $571.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 17th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating and set a $591.00 price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, UnitedHealth Group has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $570.05.

UnitedHealth Group Trading Up 0.1 %

UnitedHealth Group stock opened at $484.11 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $445.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.55. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $483.69 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $513.21. UnitedHealth Group has a 12 month low of $436.38 and a 12 month high of $554.70. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On UnitedHealth Group

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in UNH. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 16,941 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $8,919,000 after acquiring an additional 342 shares during the period. Ascension Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the 3rd quarter worth about $216,000. Bellecapital International Ltd. boosted its position in UnitedHealth Group by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Bellecapital International Ltd. now owns 13,823 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $7,277,000 after buying an additional 193 shares during the period. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. increased its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 5.8% during the third quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. now owns 34,297 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $17,292,000 after acquiring an additional 1,884 shares during the period. Finally, Rise Advisors LLC grew its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 326.0% in the fourth quarter. Rise Advisors LLC now owns 213 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $112,000 after purchasing an additional 163 shares in the last quarter. 87.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at UnitedHealth Group

In other news, CAO Thomas E. Roos sold 858 shares of the company’s 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 sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 32,289 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,977,233.31. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, CAO Thomas E. Roos sold 858 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $525.79, for a total value of $451,127.82. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 32,289 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,977,233.31. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Erin Mcsweeney sold 1,236 shares of the company’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 owns 9,364 shares in the company, valued at $4,527,306.72. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.35% of the company’s stock.

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 19th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 11th were paid a $1.88 dividend. This represents a $7.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.55%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 8th. UnitedHealth Group’s payout ratio is currently 45.97%.

About UnitedHealth Group

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.