Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG Increases Stake in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)

Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG grew its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 4.1% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 274,574 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after acquiring an additional 10,919 shares during the quarter. UnitedHealth Group accounts for 3.4% of Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG's holdings, making the stock its 6th biggest position. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG's holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $143,808,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in UNH. Capital & Planning LLC increased its position in UnitedHealth Group by 19.2% during the 4th quarter. Capital & Planning LLC now owns 491 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $248,000 after buying an additional 79 shares during the period. Brighton Jones LLC increased its position in UnitedHealth Group by 176.2% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 44,249 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $22,384,000 after buying an additional 28,231 shares during the period. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA bought a new position in UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter worth $27,233,000. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC increased its position in UnitedHealth Group by 137.1% during the 4th quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 4,019 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $2,033,000 after buying an additional 2,324 shares during the period. Finally, WealthPlan Investment Management LLC increased its position in UnitedHealth Group by 32.8% during the 4th quarter. WealthPlan Investment Management LLC now owns 1,250 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $632,000 after buying an additional 309 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 87.86% of the company's stock.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE UNH traded down $5.69 during trading on Monday, reaching $307.84. 14,177,381 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 7,229,753. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 52-week low of $248.88 and a 52-week high of $630.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 0.83 and a quick ratio of 0.91. The company has a 50-day moving average of $386.66 and a 200-day moving average of $472.32. The stock has a market capitalization of $279.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 0.44.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 17th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $7.20 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $7.29 by ($0.09). UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 3.60% and a return on equity of 26.69%. The firm had revenue of $109.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $111.56 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $6.91 EPS. Analysts forecast that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 24th. Investors of record on Monday, June 16th will be issued a dividend of $2.21 per share. This is a boost from UnitedHealth Group's previous quarterly dividend of $2.10. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 16th. This represents a $8.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.87%. UnitedHealth Group's dividend payout ratio is 37.02%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

UNH has been the topic of several analyst reports. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $563.00 to $374.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. TD Securities reissued a "hold" rating and set a $308.00 target price (down from $520.00) on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Monday, May 19th. Piper Sandler reduced their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $552.00 to $353.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, June 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $525.00 to $355.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 16th. Finally, Mizuho reduced their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $515.00 to $350.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 16th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $426.52.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other UnitedHealth Group news, Director John H. Noseworthy purchased 300 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 14th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $312.16 per share, with a total value of $93,648.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 6,063 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,892,626.08. The trade was a 5.21% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Patrick Hugh Conway sold 589 shares of the firm's 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 10,398 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,171,390. The trade was a 5.36% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have purchased 109,408 shares of company stock valued at $31,607,768. Corporate insiders own 0.28% of the company's stock.

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.