UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) Shares Sold by Burns J W & Co. Inc. NY

Burns J W & Co. Inc. NY lessened its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 9.7% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 12,954 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after selling 1,389 shares during the quarter. Burns J W & Co. Inc. NY's holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $6,785,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 1.6% during the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Capital International Investors lifted its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 6.2% during the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 15,616,007 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $7,899,905,000 after purchasing an additional 906,365 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the fourth quarter worth about $6,375,744,000. Northern Trust Corp lifted its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 12.5% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 9,503,671 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $4,807,527,000 after buying an additional 1,058,488 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 10.7% in the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 8,923,770 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $4,514,178,000 after buying 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 1.0%

UnitedHealth Group stock traded up $2.91 during trading on Friday, reaching $301.08. The stock had a trading volume of 16,265,624 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,788,348. The stock has a market cap of $273.12 billion, a PE ratio of 19.42, a P/E/G ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 0.56. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 52-week low of $248.88 and a 52-week high of $630.73. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $430.87 and a 200 day moving average price of $493.45.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 company 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 26.69% and a net margin of 3.60%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $6.91 EPS. On average, analysts predict that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at UnitedHealth Group

In other news, Director Timothy Patrick Flynn acquired 1,533 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 14th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $320.80 per share, with a total value of $491,786.40. Following the purchase, the director now owns 6,033 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,935,386.40. This represents a 34.07% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director John H. Noseworthy acquired 300 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 14th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $312.16 per share, for a total transaction of $93,648.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 6,063 shares in the company, valued at $1,892,626.08. This trade represents a 5.21% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders purchased 109,408 shares of company stock worth $31,607,768. 0.33% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Erste Group Bank downgraded shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $521.00 to $362.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. Oppenheimer reduced their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $600.00 to $400.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. Wolfe Research reduced their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $501.00 to $390.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. Finally, Barclays reduced their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $513.00 to $362.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and seventeen have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $441.87.

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.