Aptus Capital Advisors LLC Raises Stock Position in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH

Key Points

• Aptus Capital Advisors LLC increased its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 8.7%, acquiring an additional 6,766 shares during the first quarter, bringing its total holdings to 84,233 shares valued at $44.12 million.
• Several analysts have adjusted their ratings and price targets for UnitedHealth Group, with predictions ranging from a hold rating to target prices of $198.00 to $501.00.
• UnitedHealth Group has declared a quarterly dividend of $2.21 per share, representing an annual dividend of $8.84 and a yield of 2.9%.

Aptus Capital Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 8.7% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 84,233 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after purchasing an additional 6,766 shares during the quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC's holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $44,117,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UNH. Brighton Jones LLC increased its position in UnitedHealth Group by 176.2% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 44,249 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $22,384,000 after acquiring an additional 28,231 shares during the period. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 137.1% in the 4th quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 4,019 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $2,033,000 after purchasing an additional 2,324 shares during the last quarter. Jump Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the 4th quarter valued at $1,321,000. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 28.1% in the 4th quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 215,034 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $108,777,000 after purchasing an additional 47,174 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Meritage Group LP boosted its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 902.5% in the 4th quarter. Meritage Group LP now owns 300,755 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $152,140,000 after purchasing an additional 270,755 shares during the last quarter. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Robert W. Baird reaffirmed an "underperform" rating and issued a $198.00 price objective (down from $312.00) on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. Bank of America increased their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $290.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $418.00 to $310.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, August 6th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $563.00 to $374.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Finally, Wolfe Research lowered their price objective 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. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, UnitedHealth Group presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $367.71.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Down 1.5%

Shares of UNH traded down $4.72 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $303.77. 22,226,972 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 23,411,996. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $289.03 and a 200 day simple moving average of $393.55. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 52 week low of $234.60 and a 52 week high of $630.73. The company has a market cap of $275.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.16, a PEG ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 0.43.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $4.08 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $4.45 by ($0.37). The firm had revenue of $111.62 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $111.75 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 5.04% and a return on equity of 23.32%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 12.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $6.80 earnings per share. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2025 guidance at 16.000- EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 EPS for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 23rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 15th will be given a $2.21 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 15th. This represents a $8.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.9%. UnitedHealth Group's payout ratio is currently 38.30%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other UnitedHealth Group news, CEO Patrick Hugh Conway sold 589 shares of UnitedHealth Group stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $305.00, for a total value of $179,645.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 10,398 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,171,390. The trade was a 5.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.28% of the company's stock.

UnitedHealth Group Company 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.