UnitedHealth Group (UNH) Stock Declines While Market Improves: Some Information for Investors

The latest trading session saw UnitedHealth Group (UNH) ending at $589.65, denoting a -0.44% adjustment from its last day's close. This move lagged the S&P 500's daily gain of 0.39%. Elsewhere, the Dow saw a downswing of 0.13%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq appreciated by 0.6%.Heading into today, shares of the largest U.S. health insurer had gained 3.97% over the past month, outpacing the Medical sector's loss of 7.87% and the S&P 500's gain of 1.06% in that time.Market participants will be closely following the financial results of UnitedHealth Group in its upcoming release. The company's upcoming EPS is projected at $6.74, signifying a 9.42% increase compared to the same quarter of the previous year. Meanwhile, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenue is projecting net sales of $101.71 billion, up 7.71% from the year-ago period.For the full year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates are projecting earnings of $27.61 per share and revenue of $401.27 billion, which would represent changes of +9.91% and +7.98%, respectively, from the prior year.It is also important to note the recent changes to analyst estimates for UnitedHealth Group. These latest adjustments often mirror the shifting dynamics of short-term business patterns. With this in mind, we can consider positive estimate revisions a sign of optimism about the company's business outlook.Research indicates that these estimate revisions are directly correlated with near-term share price momentum. We developed the Zacks Rank to capitalize on this phenomenon. Our system takes these estimate changes into account and delivers a clear, actionable rating model.The Zacks Rank system, which varies between #1 (Strong Buy) and #5 (Strong Sell), carries an impressive track record of exceeding expectations, confirmed by external audits, with stocks at #1 delivering an average annual return of +25% since 1988. The Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has moved 0.01% lower within the past month. UnitedHealth Group is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold).Valuation is also important, so investors should note that UnitedHealth Group has a Forward P/E ratio of 21.45 right now. This signifies a premium in comparison to the average Forward P/E of 14.96 for its industry.Also, we should mention that UNH has a PEG ratio of 1.74. This metric is used similarly to the famous P/E ratio, but the PEG ratio also takes into account the stock's expected earnings growth rate. The average PEG ratio for the Medical - HMOs industry stood at 1.38 at the close of the market yesterday.The Medical - HMOs industry is part of the Medical sector. This industry currently has a Zacks Industry Rank of 77, which puts it in the top 31% of all 250+ industries.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.Don't forget to use Zacks.com to keep track of all these stock-moving metrics, and others, in the upcoming trading sessions.Only $1 to See All Zacks' Buys and SellsWe're not kidding.Several years ago, we shocked our members by offering them 30-day access to all our picks for the total sum of only $1. No obligation to spend another cent.Thousands have taken advantage of this opportunity. Thousands did not - they thought there must be a catch. Yes, we do have a reason. We want you to get acquainted with our portfolio services like Surprise Trader, Stocks Under $10, Technology Innovators,and more, that closed 228 positions with double- and triple-digit gains in 2023 alone.See Stocks Now >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (UNH): Free Stock Analysis ReportTo read this article on Zacks.com click here.Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks