UnitedHealth "hold"

09.03.07 - Williams Capital

LONDON, March 9 (newratings.com) - Analyst Beth Senko of Williams Capital Group maintains his "hold" rating on UnitedHealth Group Inc (UNH). The target price is set to $53.

In a research note published this morning, the analyst mentions that the company has concluded its financial restatement for 2006 and prior years and will take a pretax charge of $0.04 per share in 1Q07. The analyst expects UnitedHealth?s Medicare membership to decline in 1Q07 and the company to witness a seasonal impact of GAAP reporting for Medicare Part D membership. The company is likely to achieve its EPS growth target of 15% for 2007, despite difficult enrollment growth trends, Williams Capital adds.