UnitedHealth Group Corporate Bonds and Leverage Analysis

UNH Stock  USD 506.10  0.00  0.00%   
UnitedHealth Group holds a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.586. As of now, UnitedHealth Group's Long Term Debt Total is increasing as compared to previous years. The UnitedHealth Group's current Net Debt To EBITDA is estimated to increase to 1.20, while Short Term Debt is projected to decrease to under 2.5 B. With a high degree of financial leverage come high-interest payments, which usually reduce UnitedHealth Group's Earnings Per Share (EPS).

Asset vs Debt

Equity vs Debt

UnitedHealth Group's liquidity is one of the most fundamental aspects of both its future profitability and its ability to meet different types of ongoing financial obligations. UnitedHealth Group's cash, liquid assets, total liabilities, and shareholder equity can be utilized to evaluate how much leverage the Company is using to sustain its current operations. For traders, higher-leverage indicators usually imply a higher risk to shareholders. In addition, it helps UnitedHealth Stock's retail investors understand whether an upcoming fall or rise in the market will negatively affect UnitedHealth Group's stakeholders.
For most companies, including UnitedHealth Group, marketable securities, inventories, and receivables are the most common assets that could be converted to cash. However, for UnitedHealth Group Incorporated, the most critical issue when managing liquidity is ensuring that current assets are properly aligned with current liabilities. If they are not, UnitedHealth Group's management will need to obtain alternative financing to ensure there are always enough cash equivalents on the balance sheet to meet obligations.
Price Book
4.9268
Book Value
102.421
Operating Margin
0.0864
Profit Margin
0.0364
Return On Assets
0.0692
As of now, UnitedHealth Group's Change To Liabilities is increasing as compared to previous years.
  
Check out the analysis of UnitedHealth Group Fundamentals Over Time.
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Given the importance of UnitedHealth Group's capital structure, the first step in the capital decision process is for the management of UnitedHealth Group to decide how much external capital it will need to raise to operate in a sustainable way. Once the amount of financing is determined, management needs to examine the financial markets to determine the terms in which the company can boost capital. This move is crucial to the process because the market environment may reduce the ability of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated to issue bonds at a reasonable cost.

UnitedHealth Group Bond Ratings

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated financial ratings play a critical role in determining how much UnitedHealth Group have to pay to access credit markets, i.e., the amount of interest on their issued debt. The threshold between investment-grade and speculative-grade ratings has important market implications for UnitedHealth Group's borrowing costs.
Piotroski F Score
6
HealthyView
Beneish M Score
(2.26)
Unlikely ManipulatorView

UnitedHealth Group Debt to Cash Allocation

As UnitedHealth Group Incorporated follows its natural business cycle, the capital allocation decisions will not magically go away. UnitedHealth Group's decision-makers have to determine if most of the cash flows will be poured back into or reinvested in the business, reserved for other projects beyond operational needs, or paid back to stakeholders and investors.
UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has 62.54 B in debt with debt to equity (D/E) ratio of 0.59, which is OK given its current industry classification. UnitedHealth Group has a current ratio of 0.76, suggesting that it has not enough short term capital to pay financial commitments when the payables are due. Note however, debt could still be an excellent tool for UnitedHealth to invest in growth at high rates of return.

UnitedHealth Group Total Assets Over Time

UnitedHealth Group Assets Financed by Debt

The debt-to-assets ratio shows the degree to which UnitedHealth Group uses debt to finance its assets. It includes both long-term and short-term borrowings maturing within one year. It also includes both tangible and intangible assets, such as goodwill.

UnitedHealth Group Debt Ratio

    
  13.0   
It feels like most of the UnitedHealth Group's assets are financed through equity. Typically, companies with high debt-to-asset ratios are said to be highly leveraged. The higher the ratio, the greater risk will be associated with the UnitedHealth Group's operation. In addition, a high debt-to-assets ratio may indicate a low borrowing capacity of UnitedHealth Group, which in turn will lower the firm's financial flexibility.

UnitedHealth Group Corporate Bonds Issued

Most UnitedHealth bonds can be classified according to their maturity, which is the date when UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has to pay back the principal to investors. Maturities can be short-term, medium-term, or long-term (more than ten years). Longer-term bonds usually offer higher interest rates but may entail additional risks.

UnitedHealth Net Debt

Net Debt

38.97 Billion

As of now, UnitedHealth Group's Net Debt is increasing as compared to previous years.

Understaning UnitedHealth Group Use of Financial Leverage

Understanding the composition and structure of UnitedHealth Group's debt gives an idea of how risky is the capital structure of the business and if it is worth investing in it. The degree of UnitedHealth Group's financial leverage can be measured in several ways, including by ratios such as the debt-to-equity ratio (total debt / total equity), equity multiplier (total assets / total equity), or the debt ratio (total debt / total assets).
Last ReportedProjected for Next Year
Net Debt37.1 B39 B
Short and Long Term Debt Total62.5 B65.7 B
Short Term Debt4.3 B2.5 B
Long Term Debt58.3 B61.2 B
Long Term Debt Total62.7 B65.8 B
Short and Long Term Debt4.3 B3.9 B
Net Debt To EBITDA 1.14  1.20 
Debt To Equity 0.70  0.62 
Interest Debt Per Share 70.89  74.43 
Debt To Assets 0.23  0.13 
Long Term Debt To Capitalization 0.40  0.21 
Total Debt To Capitalization 0.41  0.24 
Debt Equity Ratio 0.70  0.62 
Debt Ratio 0.23  0.13 
Cash Flow To Debt Ratio 0.46  0.44 
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Currently Active Assets on Macroaxis

When determining whether UnitedHealth Group offers a strong return on investment in its stock, a comprehensive analysis is essential. The process typically begins with a thorough review of UnitedHealth Group's financial statements, including income statements, balance sheets, and cash flow statements, to assess its financial health. Key financial ratios are used to gauge profitability, efficiency, and growth potential of Unitedhealth Group Incorporated Stock. Outlined below are crucial reports that will aid in making a well-informed decision on Unitedhealth Group Incorporated Stock:
Is Health Care Providers & Services space expected to grow? Or is there an opportunity to expand the business' product line in the future? Factors like these will boost the valuation of UnitedHealth Group. If investors know UnitedHealth will grow in the future, the company's valuation will be higher. The financial industry is built on trying to define current growth potential and future valuation accurately. All the valuation information about UnitedHealth Group listed above have to be considered, but the key to understanding future value is determining which factors weigh more heavily than others.
Quarterly Earnings Growth
0.043
Dividend Share
7.96
Earnings Share
15.39
Revenue Per Share
427.221
Quarterly Revenue Growth
0.092
The market value of UnitedHealth Group is measured differently than its book value, which is the value of UnitedHealth that is recorded on the company's balance sheet. Investors also form their own opinion of UnitedHealth Group's value that differs from its market value or its book value, called intrinsic value, which is UnitedHealth Group's true underlying value. Investors use various methods to calculate intrinsic value and buy a stock when its market value falls below its intrinsic value. Because UnitedHealth Group's market value can be influenced by many factors that don't directly affect UnitedHealth Group's underlying business (such as a pandemic or basic market pessimism), market value can vary widely from intrinsic value.
Please note, there is a significant difference between UnitedHealth Group's value and its price as these two are different measures arrived at by different means. Investors typically determine if UnitedHealth Group is a good investment by looking at such factors as earnings, sales, fundamental and technical indicators, competition as well as analyst projections. However, UnitedHealth Group's price is the amount at which it trades on the open market and represents the number that a seller and buyer find agreeable to each party.

What is Financial Leverage?

Financial leverage is the use of borrowed money (debt) to finance the purchase of assets with the expectation that the income or capital gain from the new asset will exceed the cost of borrowing. In most cases, the debt provider will limit how much risk it is ready to take and indicate a limit on the extent of the leverage it will allow. In the case of asset-backed lending, the financial provider uses the assets as collateral until the borrower repays the loan. In the case of a cash flow loan, the general creditworthiness of the company is used to back the loan. The concept of leverage is common in the business world. It is mostly used to boost the returns on equity capital of a company, especially when the business is unable to increase its operating efficiency and returns on total investment. Because earnings on borrowing are higher than the interest payable on debt, the company's total earnings will increase, ultimately boosting stockholders' profits.

Leverage and Capital Costs

The debt to equity ratio plays a role in the working average cost of capital (WACC). The overall interest on debt represents the break-even point that must be obtained to profitability in a given venture. Thus, WACC is essentially the average interest an organization owes on the capital it has borrowed for leverage. Let's say equity represents 60% of borrowed capital, and debt is 40%. This results in a financial leverage calculation of 40/60, or 0.6667. The organization owes 10% on all equity and 5% on all debt. That means that the weighted average cost of capital is (.4)(5) + (.6)(10) - or 8%. For every $10,000 borrowed, this organization will owe $800 in interest. Profit must be higher than 8% on the project to offset the cost of interest and justify this leverage.

Benefits of Financial Leverage

Leverage provides the following benefits for companies:
  • Leverage is an essential tool a company's management can use to make the best financing and investment decisions.
  • It provides a variety of financing sources by which the firm can achieve its target earnings.
  • Leverage is also an essential technique in investing as it helps companies set a threshold for the expansion of business operations. For example, it can be used to recommend restrictions on business expansion once the projected return on additional investment is lower than the cost of debt.
By borrowing funds, the firm incurs a debt that must be paid. But, this debt is paid in small installments over a relatively long period of time. This frees funds for more immediate use in the stock market. For example, suppose a company can afford a new factory but will be left with negligible free cash. In that case, it may be better to finance the factory and spend the cash on hand on inputs, labor, or even hold a significant portion as a reserve against unforeseen circumstances.

The Risk of Financial Leverage

The most obvious and apparent risk of leverage is that if price changes unexpectedly, the leveraged position can lead to severe losses. For example, imagine a hedge fund seeded by $50 worth of investor money. The hedge fund borrows another $50 and buys an asset worth $100, leading to a leverage ratio of 2:1. For the investor, this is neither good nor bad -- until the asset price changes. If the asset price goes up 10 percent, the investor earns $10 on $50 of capital, a net gain of 20 percent, and is very pleased with the increased gains from the leverage. However, if the asset price crashes unexpectedly, say by 30 percent, the investor loses $30 on $50 of capital, suffering a 60 percent loss. In other words, the effect of leverage is to increase the volatility of returns and increase the effects of a price change on the asset to the bottom line while increasing the chance for profit as well.