Arrowpoint Investment Partners Singapore Pte. Ltd. Purchases Shares of 1,400 UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)

Key Points

• Arrowpoint Investment Partners Singapore Pte. Ltd. acquired 1,400 shares of UnitedHealth Group, valued at approximately $733,000, indicating increasing institutional interest in the stock.
• UnitedHealth Group recently missed earnings expectations for the quarter, reporting $4.08 EPS against an expected $4.45 EPS, despite a 12.9% year-over-year revenue increase.
• The company increased its quarterly dividend to $2.21, representing an annual yield of 3.5%, up from the previous quarterly dividend of $2.10.

Arrowpoint Investment Partners Singapore Pte. Ltd. purchased a new stake in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 1,400 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock, valued at approximately $733,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Bayforest Capital Ltd increased its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 685.7% in the 1st quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd now owns 55 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda purchased a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Copia Wealth Management purchased a new stake in UnitedHealth Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Finally, IAG Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in UnitedHealth Group in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $42,000. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Up 3.7%

Shares of UnitedHealth Group stock traded up $9.22 on Tuesday, hitting $261.59. 12,160,581 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 18,478,328. The stock has a market cap of $237.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.33, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73. The firm's 50-day moving average is $289.94 and its 200 day moving average is $402.24. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 52-week low of $234.60 and a 52-week high of $630.73.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $4.08 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.45 by ($0.37). The business had revenue of $111.62 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $111.75 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 5.04% and a return on equity of 23.32%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 12.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $6.80 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 earnings per share for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 24th. Investors of record on Monday, June 16th were paid a dividend of $2.21 per share. This represents a $8.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.4%. This is a boost from UnitedHealth Group's previous quarterly dividend of $2.10. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 16th. UnitedHealth Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 38.30%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently issued reports on UNH. TD Securities reaffirmed a "hold" rating and issued a $308.00 target price (down previously from $520.00) on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Monday, May 19th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $306.00 to $267.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, August 4th. Oppenheimer lowered their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $400.00 to $325.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Barclays reaffirmed an "overweight" rating on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Thursday, July 17th. Finally, HSBC reaffirmed a "reduce" rating and issued a $270.00 target price (down from $490.00) on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, UnitedHealth Group has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $366.52.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Patrick Hugh Conway sold 589 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $305.00, for a total transaction of $179,645.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 10,398 shares in the company, valued at $3,171,390. This trade represents a 5.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Kristen Gil acquired 3,700 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 15th. The shares were bought at an average price of $271.17 per share, with a total value of $1,003,329.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 3,818 shares in the company, valued at $1,035,327.06. The trade was a 3,135.59% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders purchased a total of 109,408 shares of company stock valued at $31,607,768 over the last three months. 0.28% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

UnitedHealth Group Profile

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated operates as a diversified health care company in the United States. The company operates through four segments: UnitedHealthcare, Optum Health, Optum Insight, and Optum Rx. The UnitedHealthcare segment offers consumer-oriented health benefit plans and services for national employers, public sector employers, mid-sized employers, small businesses, and individuals; health care coverage, and health and well-being services to individuals age 50 and older addressing their needs; Medicaid plans, children's health insurance and health care programs; and health and dental benefits, and hospital and clinical services, as well as health care benefits products and services to state programs caring for the economically disadvantaged, medically underserved, and those without the benefit of employer-funded health care coverage.