Biondo Investment Advisors LLC Boosts Position in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH

Key Points

• Biondo Investment Advisors LLC has increased its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 4.7%, bringing its total holdings to approximately $10.08 million worth of shares.
• Several institutional investors, including Vanguard Group and Wellington Management, have significantly raised their positions in UnitedHealth Group, indicating strong interest in the stock.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $2.21 per share, with a payout ratio of 38.30%, highlighting its commitment to returning value to shareholders.

Biondo Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 4.7% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 19,242 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after buying an additional 861 shares during the period. Biondo Investment Advisors LLC's holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $10,078,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UNH. Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. bought a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Bayforest Capital Ltd increased its stake 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 purchasing an additional 48 shares during the period. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd raised its stake 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 purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda acquired a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter worth $41,000. Finally, Copia Wealth Management acquired a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $42,000. Institutional investors own 87.86% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Erste Group Bank lowered shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. UBS Group reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Thursday, July 17th. TD Cowen downgraded shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $308.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Monday, May 19th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $342.00 to $325.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Mizuho cut their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $515.00 to $350.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, UnitedHealth Group presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $365.38.

Insider Transactions at UnitedHealth Group

In other news, CEO Patrick Hugh Conway sold 589 shares of UnitedHealth Group stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $305.00, for a total value of $179,645.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 10,398 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,171,390. The trade was a 5.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.28% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

UnitedHealth Group Price Performance

Shares of UNH traded up $3.7480 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $307.0980. 14,867,565 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 23,438,662. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.85. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a one year low of $234.60 and a one year high of $630.73. The firm has a market cap of $278.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.31, a PEG ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 0.43. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $288.39 and a 200-day moving average of $387.54.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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). 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 the consensus estimate of $111.75 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $6.80 EPS. UnitedHealth Group's quarterly revenue was up 12.9% on a year-over-year basis. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2025 guidance at 16.000- EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 23rd. Investors of record on Monday, September 15th will be given a $2.21 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 15th. This represents a $8.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.9%. UnitedHealth Group's payout ratio is presently 38.30%.

UnitedHealth Group Company 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.