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  1. Home
  2. / Investing

UnitedHealth Group Can Pull Back in the Short Run So Look to Buy the Dip

Time to review the charts and indicators.
By BRUCE KAMICH
Dec 03, 2019 | 09:41 AM EST
Stocks quotes in this article: UNH

UnitedHealth Group (UNH) is the Stock of the Day at Real Money Tuesday. The healthcare company is hosting its annual Investor Conference with analysts and institutional investors in New York City today, and announced its preliminary 2019 results and 2020 outlook. The company issued a somewhat disappointing forecast for adjusted earnings in 2020, as they expect earnings next year of between $16.25 and $16.55 a share, compared with analysts' estimates of $16.46, according to Refinitiv.

 
Let's visit with the charts and indicators this morning while the fundamental analysts are busy at the conference.  
 
In this daily bar chart of UNH, below, we can see that prices have rallied strongly from early October to break above the highs of 2019. Prices climbed over $75 in about eight weeks - amazing.
 
UNH is above the rising 50-day moving average line as well as the rising 200-day moving average line. We can also see that the 50-day line has crossed above the 200-day line for what is commonly called a golden cross. This moving average crossover is a simple buy signal but typically generated well off the bottom. The golden cross can be successful in long-trending markets.
 
The daily On-Balance-Volume (OBV) line was neutral for much of 2019 but it looks like it has begun to strengthen from early October telling us that buyers of this giant insurer have become more aggressive.
 
The Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) oscillator crossed the zero line in October for a buy signal but has narrowed recently towards a take profits sell signal (a sell signal when the stock is in an uptrend).  
 
 
In this weekly bar chart of UNH, below, we can see that prices are retesting the highs of late 2018. UNH is above the rising 40-week moving average line.
 
The weekly OBV line has been strong from the middle of September and is close to making a new high for the move up. A rising OBV line tells us that buyers are trading more shares of stock when the stock has closed higher and that is a sign of aggressive buying.
 
The weekly MACD oscillator has turned up strongly above the zero line on this longer time frame for an outright go long signal. 
 
 
In this first Point and Figure chart of UNH, below, we can see the strong rally as a column of "X's". A trade at $285.32 will be a fresh breakout. A target of $313 is being projected. 
 
 
In this second Point and Figure chart of UNH, below, we used weekly close only data and here a longer-term price target of $421 is being projected. 
 
 
Bottom line strategy: UNH could pull back for a few days or even a week or so considering its strong rise from October. A pullback into the $275-$270 area would not be out of line and I would consider it a buying opportunity. 
 

(UnitedHealth Group is a holding in Jim Cramer's Action Alerts PLUS member club. Want to be alerted before Jim Cramer buys or sells UNH? Learn more now.)

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TAGS: Investing | Stocks | Technical Analysis | Trading | Healthcare | Pharmaceuticals | Stock of the Day

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