Is United Health Group (UNH) A Good Quality Stock to Buy Now?

We recently compiled the list of the 13 Best Quality Stocks To Buy according to the hedge funds using the latest sentiment data. In this article, we are going to take a look at where UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) stands against the other quality stocks.

Investing in 2024 is significantly different from investing in the 1950s and onward. This is because these days investors have to. sift through thousands of stocks and countless data points and signals to separate the wheat from the chaff and make the right investment decisions. Amidst this hubris, the ability to pick out 'quality' stocks becomes important, and there's quite a lot of financial literature available that helps determine what such stocks are.

Typically, stock analysis involves analyzing a firm's financial statements to determine profitability, operating strengths, cost control, asset utilization, and other metrics. Some of these are also present in financial literature that discusses quality stocks. One such research paper comes courtesy of researchers associated with Research Affiliates. They point out that metrics that typically define a quality stock include earnings stability, capital structure, profitability, accounting practices, and investing strategies. Within these, the quality factors that were also related to returns were investment strategies, dividend payouts, profitability, and accounting strategies.

The next thing to ask is, whether quality stocks are any different from standard run of the mill stocks when it comes to share price performance. For context, the last 12 months on the stock market have been dominated by a few key themes. These are artificial intelligence, inflation, interest rates, and GDP growth. Higher rates and inflation are bearish stock indicators, while growth and AI have proven to have kept the market buoyant at a time when rates are at two decade high levels. So, over the past year, exchange traded funds that track quality stocks have appreciated by 12% to 27%, the midpoint of which is slightly lower than the S&P 500's 23% price appreciation over the same time period. However, picking the right quality stocks appears to have its advantages as well, since the high end of the performance, i.e. 27%, is far higher than what the index has delivered.

ETFs and research aren't the only ones that talk about quality stocks. One hedge fund that's become quite well known for its focus on quality stocks is Cliff Asness’ AQR Capital Management. One of the largest hedge funds in the world, AQR had a 13F investment portfolio worth $58 billion as of Q1 2024 end according to Insider Monkey's research. Close to a quarter of its portfolio is invested in the technology industry, and the second biggest category is services stocks. AQR focuses on stocks that follow its strategy of Quality Minus Junk or QMJ. According to its founder Cliff Asness, a quality stock is defined by its shareholder payouts, growth, profitability, and sound financial and general management. We recently took a look at some top AQR Capital management stocks and you can check them out by looking at 13 Best Stocks To Buy Now According To Billionaire Cliff Asness.

Before we head to our list of the best quality stocks, a general overview of the stock market is relevant. Right now, investors are wondering when the first interest rate cuts might occur. The latest bit on this front came in the form of the Personal Consumption Expenditure (PCE) data from the Commerce Department. This data set revealed that the 12 month inflation in the US stood at 2.7% in April 2024, which was still higher than the Fed's preferred rate of 2%. Additionally, the data also provided investors with some bearish signals. These were apparent in the readings for consumer spending, which slowed down to 2% in the first quarter of 2024 over the robust 3.3% reading in Q4 2023.

Lower spending means less money sloshing in the economy, and while this might help reduce prices, it can also affect business performance, economic growth, and naturally, stock market performance. Data from the CME Fed Watch Tool shows that 47% of all investors polled expect a 25 basis point rate cut in September, while an additional 7.5% believe that the Fed might get generous and cut rates by as much as 50 basis points.

With these details in mind, let's take a look at some top quality stocks that hedge funds are buying.

Our Methodology

To make our list of the best quality stocks to buy, we ranked the 30 largest constituents of a quality stock ETF and picked out those with the highest number of hedge fund investors in Q1 2024.

By the way, Insider Monkey is an investing website that tracks the movements of corporate insiders and hedge funds. The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 275% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 150 percentage points (see more details here).

A medical technician holding the instruments in her hands

11. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)

Number of Hedge Fund Shareholders In Q1 2024: 104

Health benefits provider UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)'s average share price target of 23 one year analyst estimates is $569.78 and the average rating is Strong Buy. On May 15, Bank of America Securities analyst Kevin Fischbeck reaffirmed his Buy rating on UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) with a price target of $675.00. He highlighted several factors for this rating, including the company’s initiatives to achieve long-term EPS growth of 13-16%, its robust value-based care model, and its adaptable business strategy. Fischbeck emphasized the company's effective cost management and ability to maintain target margins. He anticipates continued growth for UnitedHealth Group with stable margins, driven by disciplined pricing and sustainable benefit design.

The firm's shares dropped by 6% and led the insurance sector in late May 2024 when it shared that state insurance reimbursements could drop due to a pandemic era policy ending.

As of Q1 2024, 104 hedge funds covered by Insider Monkey's research had held a stake in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH). Ken Fisher's Fisher Asset Management was the largest stakeholder due to its $1.4 billion stake.

Like other established firms, UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)'s forward P/E of 17 makes it undervalued compared to the market. Additionally, while its revenue has grown by 44% over the past four years, the shares are up by 71%, leaving them vulnerable to downward shifts. Baron Health Care Fund is long-term bullish on UNH shares, thinking that the company's stock price can deliver around 15% annual returns:

“UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) is a leading health insurance company that operates across four segments: United Healthcare, Optum Health, OptumInsight, and OptumRX. Shares fell alongside other managed care organizations (MCOs) due to patient utilization of Medicare Advantage (MA) that was higher than consensus forecasts, raising concerns that MCOs had mispriced 2024 bids and could suffer margin compression as a result. In addition, the industry is facing headwinds from MA reimbursement cuts and Star Rating changes. While management said higher cost trends are mostly transitory and reflected in its bidding, and 2024 guidance was roughly in line with consensus, investors took a more cautious wait-and-see approach. We believe UnitedHealth should remain a core portfolio holding, as it is a way to play positive demographic, population health, and value-based reimbursement trends. Despite its size, we think the company should be able to grow earnings consistent with its 13% to 16% long-term EPS annual target, the fastest among major MCOs.”

Overall, UNH ranks 11th among the 13 Best Quality Stocks To Buy now. You can visit 13 Best Quality Stocks To Buy to see the other quality stocks that are on the hedge fund radar. While we acknowledge the potential of UNH as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns, and doing so within a shorter timeframe. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than UNH but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.

READ NEXT: Michael Burry Is Selling These Stocks and Jim Cramer is Recommending These Stocks. Disclosure: None. The article is originally published at Insider Monkey.