What the Options Market Tells Us About UnitedHealth Group

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 38 uncommon options trades for UnitedHealth Group.

This isn't normal.

The overall sentiment of these big-money traders is split between 47% bullish and 18%, bearish.

Out of all of the special options we uncovered, 6 are puts, for a total amount of $465,577, and 32 are calls, for a total amount of $2,868,786.

What's The Price Target?

Taking into account the Volume and Open Interest on these contracts, it appears that whales have been targeting a price range from $250.0 to $640.0 for UnitedHealth Group over the last 3 months.

Volume & Open Interest Trends

In today's trading context, the average open interest for options of UnitedHealth Group stands at 723.73, with a total volume reaching 7,591.00. The accompanying chart delineates the progression of both call and put option volume and open interest for high-value trades in UnitedHealth Group, situated within the strike price corridor from $250.0 to $640.0, throughout the last 30 days.

UnitedHealth Group 30-Day Option Volume & Interest Snapshot

Largest Options Trades Observed:

About UnitedHealth Group

UnitedHealth Group is one of the largest private health insurers, providing medical benefits to about 51 million members globally, including 1 million outside the US as of December 2024. 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.

In light of the recent options history for UnitedHealth Group, it's now appropriate to focus on the company itself. We aim to explore its current performance.

Current Position of UnitedHealth Group

• Currently trading with a volume of 1,317,873, the UNH's price is down by -1.14%, now at $525.1.
• RSI readings suggest the stock is currently may be approaching overbought.
• Anticipated earnings release is in 60 days.

Expert Opinions on UnitedHealth Group

4 market experts have recently issued ratings for this stock, with a consensus target price of $663.0.

Unusual Options Activity Detected: Smart Money on the Move

Benzinga Edge's Unusual Options board spots potential market movers before they happen. See what positions big money is taking on your favorite stocks. Click here for access. * An analyst from Keybanc downgraded its action to Overweight with a price target of $650. * Maintaining their stance, an analyst from Barclays continues to hold a Overweight rating for UnitedHealth Group, targeting a price of $642. * Reflecting concerns, an analyst from Cantor Fitzgerald lowers its rating to Overweight with a new price target of $700. * Maintaining their stance, an analyst from Wells Fargo continues to hold a Overweight rating for UnitedHealth Group, targeting a price of $660.

Options are a riskier asset compared to just trading the stock, but they have higher profit potential. Serious options traders manage this risk by educating themselves daily, scaling in and out of trades, following more than one indicator, and following the markets closely.

If you want to stay updated on the latest options trades for UnitedHealth Group, Benzinga Pro gives you real-time options trades alerts.