Banco Santander S.A. Has $27.21 Million Position in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)

Key Points

• Banco Santander S.A. increased its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 12%, owning 51,956 shares worth approximately $27.21 million by the end of the first quarter.
• Institutional investors own 87.86% of UnitedHealth Group's stock, reflecting significant interest from various hedge funds.
• UnitedHealth Group recently disclosed a quarterly dividend increase to $2.21 per share, representing a 3.7% dividend yield.

Banco Santander S.A. increased its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 12.0% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 51,956 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after buying an additional 5,575 shares during the period. Banco Santander S.A.'s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $27,212,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. United Super Pty Ltd in its capacity as Trustee for the Construction & Building Unions Superannuation Fund lifted its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 8.1% in the 1st quarter. United Super Pty Ltd in its capacity as Trustee for the Construction & Building Unions Superannuation Fund now owns 127,114 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $66,576,000 after purchasing an additional 9,526 shares during the period. Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. lifted its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 994.7% in the 1st quarter. Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. now owns 131,441 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $68,842,000 after purchasing an additional 119,434 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp lifted its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 2.8% in the 1st quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 575,020 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $301,167,000 after purchasing an additional 15,728 shares during the period. Mirabaud & Cie SA lifted its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 1.9% in the 1st quarter. Mirabaud & Cie SA now owns 19,286 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $10,101,000 after purchasing an additional 361 shares during the period. Finally, Endeavor Private Wealth Inc. lifted its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 306.8% in the 1st quarter. Endeavor Private Wealth Inc. now owns 834 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $437,000 after purchasing an additional 629 shares during the period. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently weighed in on UNH shares. Erste Group Bank lowered shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Oppenheimer lowered their price objective 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. Argus lowered shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Bank of America lowered their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $350.00 to $300.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, KeyCorp decreased their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $400.00 to $350.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, UnitedHealth Group has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $373.52.

UnitedHealth Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:UNH opened at $237.40 on Friday. The company's 50-day moving average is $296.86 and its 200 day moving average is $416.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 0.85. The company has a market capitalization of $215.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 0.43. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $234.60 and a fifty-two week high of $630.73.

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

UnitedHealth Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 24th. Investors of record on Monday, June 16th were given a $2.21 dividend. This represents a $8.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.7%. This is a positive change 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 currently 38.30%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Kristen Gil acquired 3,700 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 15th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $271.17 per share, for a total transaction of $1,003,329.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 3,818 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,035,327.06. This trade represents a 3,135.59% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO John F. Rex bought 17,175 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 16th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $291.12 per share, with a total value of $4,999,986.00. Following the purchase, the chief financial officer owned 203,796 shares of the company's stock, valued at $59,329,091.52. This represents a 9.20% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders purchased 109,408 shares of company stock valued at $31,607,768 in the last 90 days. 0.28% of the stock is 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.

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