UnitedHealth Group Options Trading: A Deep Dive into Market Sentiment

Investors with a lot of money to spend have taken a bearish 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 128 uncommon options trades for UnitedHealth Group.

This isn't normal.

The overall sentiment of these big-money traders is split between 38% bullish and 44%, bearish.

Out of all of the special options we uncovered, 47 are puts, for a total amount of $3,510,411, and 81 are calls, for a total amount of $11,494,575.

Expected Price Movements

Analyzing the Volume and Open Interest in these contracts, it seems that the big players have been eyeing a price window from $135.0 to $580.0 for UnitedHealth Group during the past quarter.

Analyzing Volume & Open Interest

Looking at the volume and open interest is a powerful move while trading options. This data can help you track the liquidity and interest for UnitedHealth Group's options for a given strike price. Below, we can observe the evolution of the volume and open interest of calls and puts, respectively, for all of UnitedHealth Group's whale trades within a strike price range from $135.0 to $580.0 in the last 30 days.

UnitedHealth Group Call and Put Volume: 30-Day Overview

Largest Options Trades Observed:

About UnitedHealth Group

UnitedHealth Group is one of the largest private health insurers and provides 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 medical insurance. Along with its insurance assets, UnitedHealth's Optum franchises help create a healthcare services colossus that spans everything from pharmaceutical benefits to providing outpatient care and analytics to both affiliated and third-party customers.

Following our analysis of the options activities associated with UnitedHealth Group, we pivot to a closer look at the company's own performance.

Current Position of UnitedHealth Group

• Currently trading with a volume of 8,072,200, the UNH's price is down by -0.11%, now at $308.52.
• RSI readings suggest the stock is currently may be approaching overbought.
• Anticipated earnings release is in 41 days.

What The Experts Say On UnitedHealth Group

In the last month, 5 experts released ratings on this stock with an average target price of $352.6.

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. * Consistent in their evaluation, an analyst from Keybanc keeps a Overweight rating on UnitedHealth Group with a target price of $400. * Maintaining their stance, an analyst from Piper Sandler continues to hold a Overweight rating for UnitedHealth Group, targeting a price of $353. * An analyst from Wolfe Research persists with their Outperform rating on UnitedHealth Group, maintaining a target price of $390. * An analyst from Barclays persists with their Overweight rating on UnitedHealth Group, maintaining a target price of $350. * In a cautious move, an analyst from HSBC downgraded its rating to Reduce, setting a price target of $270.

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.