UnitedHealth Group Options Trading: A Deep Dive into Market Sentiment

Investors with a lot of money to spend have taken a bullish stance on UnitedHealth Group UNH.

And retail traders should know.

We noticed this today when the trades showed up on publicly available options history that we track here at Benzinga.

Whether these are institutions or just wealthy individuals, we don't know. But when something this big happens with UNH, it often means somebody knows something is about to happen.

So how do we know what these investors just did?

Today, Benzinga's options scanner spotted 9 uncommon options trades for UnitedHealth Group.

This isn't normal.

The overall sentiment of these big-money traders is split between 66% bullish and 33%, bearish.

Out of all of the special options we uncovered, 3 are puts, for a total amount of $164,290, and 6 are calls, for a total amount of $335,366.

What's The Price Target?

Analyzing the Volume and Open Interest in these contracts, it seems that the big players have been eyeing a price window from $480.0 to $560.0 for UnitedHealth Group during the past quarter.

Volume & Open Interest Development

Assessing the volume and open interest is a strategic step in options trading. These metrics shed light on the liquidity and investor interest in UnitedHealth Group's options at specified strike prices. The forthcoming data visualizes the fluctuation in volume and open interest for both calls and puts, linked to UnitedHealth Group's substantial trades, within a strike price spectrum from $480.0 to $560.0 over the preceding 30 days.

UnitedHealth Group Option Activity Analysis: Last 30 Days

Largest Options Trades Observed:

About UnitedHealth Group

UnitedHealth Group is one of the largest private health insurers, providing medical benefits to about 53 million members globally, including 5 million outside the U.S. as of mid-2023. As a leader in employer-sponsored, self-directed, and government-backed insurance plans, UnitedHealth has obtained massive scale in managed care. Along with its insurance assets, UnitedHealth's continued investments in its Optum franchises have created a healthcare services colossus that spans everything from medical and pharmaceutical benefits to providing outpatient care and analytics to both affiliated and third-party customers.

After a thorough review of the options trading surrounding UnitedHealth Group, we move to examine the company in more detail. This includes an assessment of its current market status and performance.

Current Position of UnitedHealth Group

• Trading volume stands at 417,194, with UNH's price up by 0.15%, positioned at $517.7.
• RSI indicators show the stock to be may be approaching overbought.
• Earnings announcement expected in 57 days.

Expert Opinions on UnitedHealth Group

Over the past month, 4 industry analysts have shared their insights on this stock, proposing an average target price of $596.75.

• An analyst from Cantor Fitzgerald downgraded its action to Overweight with a price target of $591.
• An analyst from Stephens & Co. has revised its rating downward to Overweight, adjusting the price target to $605.
• An analyst from Oppenheimer has revised its rating downward to Outperform, adjusting the price target to $610.
• Maintaining their stance, an analyst from Piper Sandler continues to hold a Overweight rating for UnitedHealth Group, targeting a price of $581.

Options trading presents higher risks and potential rewards. Astute traders manage these risks by continually educating themselves, adapting their strategies, monitoring multiple indicators, and keeping a close eye on market movements. Stay informed about the latest UnitedHealth Group options trades with real-time alerts from Benzinga Pro.