Arkadios Wealth Advisors Raises Stock Position in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)

Key Points

• Arkadios Wealth Advisors increased its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 57.9% during the first quarter, now owning 15,350 shares valued at $8.04 million.
• Various institutional investors are actively trading UnitedHealth Group shares, with 87.86% of the stock currently owned by such entities.
• UnitedHealth Group's recent earnings report indicated an EPS of $4.08, missing analysts' estimates of $5.16, despite a revenue increase of 12.9% year-over-year.

Arkadios Wealth Advisors grew its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 57.9% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 15,350 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after purchasing an additional 5,631 shares during the period. Arkadios Wealth Advisors' holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $8,040,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UNH. Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Hurley Capital LLC purchased a new position in UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Bayforest Capital Ltd increased its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 685.7% during 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 during the period. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd purchased a new position in UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, IAG Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in UnitedHealth Group during the 1st quarter valued at about $42,000. Institutional investors own 87.86% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Stephen J. Hemsley bought 86,700 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 16th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $288.57 per share, with a total value of $25,019,019.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer owned 679,493 shares in the company, valued at $196,081,295.01. This trade represents a 14.63% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Timothy Patrick Flynn purchased 1,533 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 14th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $320.80 per share, with a total value of $491,786.40. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 6,033 shares in the company, valued at $1,935,386.40. This represents a 34.07% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders purchased 109,408 shares of company stock worth $31,607,768 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.28% of the company's stock.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Up 2.1%

UNH stock traded up $5.36 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $266.43. The company's stock had a trading volume of 22,302,965 shares, compared to its average volume of 13,886,933. The company has a market cap of $241.69 billion, a PE ratio of 11.54, a P/E/G ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 0.45. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 12 month low of $248.88 and a 12 month high of $630.73. 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 firm's 50-day moving average is $298.96 and its 200-day moving average is $420.36.

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 the consensus estimate of $5.16 by ($1.08). 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%. UnitedHealth Group's quarterly revenue was up 12.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $6.80 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 24th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 16th were issued a dividend of $2.21 per share. This represents a $8.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.32%. This is a boost from UnitedHealth Group's previous quarterly dividend of $2.10. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 16th. UnitedHealth Group's dividend payout ratio is presently 37.02%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on UNH. TD Securities restated a "hold" rating and set a $308.00 price target (down previously from $520.00) on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Monday, May 19th. Erste Group Bank downgraded UnitedHealth Group from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Mizuho reduced their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $515.00 to $350.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 16th. UBS Group reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Thursday, July 17th. Finally, Wolfe Research reduced their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $501.00 to $390.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $378.95.

About UnitedHealth Group

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.