Assenagon Asset Management S.A. Decreases Stake in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH

Key Points

• Assenagon Asset Management S.A. has significantly reduced its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 81.6%, selling over 880,000 shares during the second quarter.
• Analysts have mixed outlooks for UnitedHealth, with an average target price of $358.95 and ratings ranging from "strong sell" to "outperform."
• The company recently reported quarterly earnings of $4.08 per share, missing estimates of $4.45, but revenue increased by 12.9% compared to the previous year.

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. cut its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 81.6% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 198,339 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after selling 880,133 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A.'s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $61,876,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bayforest Capital Ltd increased its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 685.7% during the first quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd now owns 55 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares during the period. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd lifted its position in UnitedHealth Group by 416.7% in the 1st quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd now owns 62 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Copia Wealth Management bought a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the 4th quarter worth $42,000. IAG Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the first quarter valued at about $42,000. Finally, O Brien Wealth Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 74.0% during the first quarter. O Brien Wealth Partners LLC now owns 87 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $46,000 after buying an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.86% of the company's stock.

UnitedHealth Group Trading Up 0.6%

NYSE:UNH traded up $1.90 on Friday, hitting $336.72. 13,528,738 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 13,684,542. 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 moving average of $295.67 and a 200-day moving average of $363.56. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $234.60 and a fifty-two week high of $630.73. The stock has a market cap of $304.96 billion, a PE ratio of 14.59, a PEG ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 0.44.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $4.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.45 by ($0.37). The firm had revenue of $111.62 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $6.80 earnings per share. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2025 guidance at 16.000- EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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 dividend of $2.21 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 15th. This represents a $8.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.6%. UnitedHealth Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 38.30%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Robert W. Baird reiterated an "underperform" rating and set a $198.00 target price (down from $312.00) on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. Barclays raised their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $337.00 to $352.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, September 4th. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $337.00 to $379.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, September 5th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $325.00 to $395.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, September 12th. Finally, Oppenheimer decreased their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $400.00 to $325.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $358.95.

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.