Bank of New York Mellon Corp Grows Stock Position in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)

Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 2.5% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 8,128,174 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after acquiring an additional 196,696 shares during the period. UnitedHealth Group comprises approximately 0.8% of Bank of New York Mellon Corp's holdings, making the stock its 17th largest holding. Bank of New York Mellon Corp owned approximately 0.89% of UnitedHealth Group worth $4,257,131,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in UNH. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 19,956,219 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $10,068,869,000 after purchasing an additional 319,515 shares during the period. Capital International Investors raised its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 6.2% in the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 15,616,007 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $7,899,905,000 after buying an additional 906,365 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $6,375,744,000. Northern Trust Corp grew its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 12.5% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 9,503,671 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $4,807,527,000 after buying an additional 1,058,488 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 10.7% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 8,923,770 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $4,514,178,000 after purchasing an additional 861,854 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.86% of the company's stock.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Up 0.4%

UnitedHealth Group stock traded up $1.13 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $308.69. The stock had a trading volume of 6,161,145 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,560,015. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.85. The company has a market capitalization of $280.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.93, a PEG ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 0.45. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a one year low of $248.88 and a one year high of $630.73. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $324.99 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $447.68.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 17th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $7.20 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $7.29 by ($0.09). The business had revenue of $109.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $111.56 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 26.29% and a net margin of 5.39%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $6.91 EPS. On average, analysts expect that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 EPS 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 paid a dividend of $2.21 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 16th. This represents a $8.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.86%. This is a positive change from UnitedHealth Group's previous quarterly dividend of $2.10. UnitedHealth Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 37.02%.

Insider Transactions at UnitedHealth Group

In related news, Director Timothy Patrick Flynn acquired 1,533 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 14th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $320.80 per share, with a total value of $491,786.40. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 6,033 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,935,386.40. This trade represents a 34.07% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO John F. Rex purchased 17,175 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 16th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $291.12 per share, with a total value of $4,999,986.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 203,796 shares in the company, valued at $59,329,091.52. This trade represents a 9.20% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have bought 109,408 shares of company stock worth $31,607,768. Insiders own 0.28% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UNH has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Mizuho lowered their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $515.00 to $350.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 16th. Erste Group Bank cut UnitedHealth Group from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Barclays dropped their price objective on UnitedHealth Group to $350.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, June 2nd. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 24th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company restated an "overweight" rating on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Friday, June 6th. One equities 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat, UnitedHealth Group presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $415.57.

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.