UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) Posts Quarterly Earnings Results, Misses Expectations By $0.09 EPS

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) announced its earnings results on Thursday. The healthcare conglomerate reported $7.20 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $7.29 by ($0.09), RTT News reports. The business 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 26.69% and a net margin of 3.60%. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $6.91 earnings per share. UnitedHealth Group updated its FY 2025 guidance to 26.000-26.500 EPS.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Performance

NYSE UNH traded down $128.94 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $456.10. 29,022,551 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,408,357. The company has a market cap of $417.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 0.61. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $516.05 and a 200 day moving average of $542.41. UnitedHealth Group has a 12-month low of $438.50 and a 12-month high of $630.73. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74.

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 18th. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th were issued a dividend of $2.10 per share. This represents a $8.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.84%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 10th. UnitedHealth Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 54.19%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently issued reports on UNH. Barclays decreased their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $655.00 to $642.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 17th. HSBC raised UnitedHealth Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $595.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Mizuho lifted their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $600.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $694.00 to $660.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $700.00 price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Twenty-one research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $632.85.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Timothy Patrick Flynn acquired 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 17th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $511.57 per share, with a total value of $511,570.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 4,500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,302,065. This represents a 28.57 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On UnitedHealth Group

An institutional investor recently raised its position in UnitedHealth Group stock. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 176.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 44,249 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after purchasing an additional 28,231 shares during the period. UnitedHealth Group makes up approximately 0.6% of Brighton Jones LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 24th biggest holding. Brighton Jones LLC’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $22,384,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.86% of the company’s stock.

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.