Back to top

Image: Bigstock

UnitedHealth Group (UNH) Stock Dips While Market Gains: Key Facts

Read MoreHide Full Article

The most recent trading session ended with UnitedHealth Group (UNH - Free Report) standing at $535.10, reflecting a -0.22% shift from the previouse trading day's closing. The stock's change was less than the S&P 500's daily gain of 0.74%. Meanwhile, the Dow experienced a rise of 0.58%, and the technology-dominated Nasdaq saw an increase of 1.13%.

The investment community will be paying close attention to the earnings performance of UnitedHealth Group in its upcoming release. The company is expected to report EPS of $6, up 12.36% from the prior-year quarter. At the same time, our most recent consensus estimate is projecting a revenue of $92.08 billion, reflecting a 11.22% rise from the equivalent quarter last year.

For the annual period, the Zacks Consensus Estimates anticipate earnings of $24.94 per share and a revenue of $369.24 billion, signifying shifts of +12.39% and +13.91%, respectively, from the last year.

It's also important for investors to be aware of any recent modifications to analyst estimates for UnitedHealth Group. These revisions help to show the ever-changing nature of near-term business trends. As a result, upbeat changes in estimates indicate analysts' favorable outlook on the company's business health and profitability.

Research indicates that these estimate revisions are directly correlated with near-term share price momentum. To take advantage of this, we've established the Zacks Rank, an exclusive model that considers these estimated changes and delivers an operational rating system.

The Zacks Rank system ranges from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell). It has a remarkable, outside-audited track record of success, with #1 stocks delivering an average annual return of +25% since 1988. The Zacks Consensus EPS estimate remained stagnant within the past month. UnitedHealth Group is holding a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold) right now.

Investors should also note UnitedHealth Group's current valuation metrics, including its Forward P/E ratio of 21.5. This indicates a premium in contrast to its industry's Forward P/E of 16.96.

Meanwhile, UNH's PEG ratio is currently 1.63. This popular metric is similar to the widely-known P/E ratio, with the difference being that the PEG ratio also takes into account the company's expected earnings growth rate. Medical - HMOs stocks are, on average, holding a PEG ratio of 1.1 based on yesterday's closing prices.

The Medical - HMOs industry is part of the Medical sector. With its current Zacks Industry Rank of 61, this industry ranks in the top 25% of all industries, numbering over 250.

The Zacks Industry Rank assesses the vigor of our specific industry groups by computing the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks incorporated in the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.

Be sure to use Zacks.com to monitor all these stock-influencing metrics, and more, throughout the forthcoming trading sessions.


See More Zacks Research for These Tickers


Normally $25 each - click below to receive one report FREE:


UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (UNH) - free report >>

Published in