Advisor Resource Council Invests $1.16 Million in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)

Advisor Resource Council 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 & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 2,327 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock, valued at approximately $1,162,000.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. NewSquare Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Hurley Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd bought a new stake in UnitedHealth Group during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Promus Capital LLC bought a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

UnitedHealth Group Price Performance

Shares of UNH traded down $5.16 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $302.04. The stock had a trading volume of 16,024,789 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,346,801. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 12 month low of $248.88 and a 12 month high of $630.73. The company's 50-day moving average is $359.15 and its two-hundred day moving average is $462.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 0.85. The stock has a market capitalization of $273.99 billion, a PE ratio of 12.65, a PEG ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.45.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 17th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $7.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $7.29 by ($0.09). UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 5.39% and a return on equity of 26.29%. The firm had revenue of $109.58 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $111.56 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $6.91 EPS. Research analysts expect that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 EPS for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 24th. Investors of record on Monday, June 16th will be issued a $2.21 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 16th. This is a boost from UnitedHealth Group's previous quarterly dividend of $2.10. This represents a $8.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.93%. UnitedHealth Group's dividend payout ratio is presently 37.02%.

Insider Activity at UnitedHealth Group

In related news, Director Timothy Patrick Flynn acquired 1,533 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 14th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $320.80 per share, for a total transaction of $491,786.40. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 6,033 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,935,386.40. This trade represents a 34.07% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director John H. Noseworthy bought 300 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 14th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $312.16 per share, with a total value of $93,648.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 6,063 shares in the company, valued at $1,892,626.08. This represents a 5.21% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have bought a total of 109,408 shares of company stock worth $31,607,768 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.28% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on UNH shares. Argus cut shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Bank of America cut shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and cut their target price for the stock from $560.00 to $350.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. Wolfe Research lowered their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $501.00 to $390.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. Barclays dropped their price target on UnitedHealth Group to $350.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, June 2nd. Finally, TD Cowen cut shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $308.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Monday, May 19th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $427.09.

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.