Cozad Asset Management Inc. Purchases 1,046 Shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)

Key Points

• Cozad Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 4.6%, acquiring an additional 1,046 shares, bringing their total to 23,755 shares valued at $12.44 million.
• Recent insider transactions include CFO John F. Rex purchasing 17,175 shares, reflecting a 9.20% increase in their ownership, and CEO Patrick Hugh Conway selling 589 shares, representing a 5.36% decrease.
• Wall Street analysts have recently lowered target prices for UnitedHealth Group, with the average price target now at $392.29 and a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy."

Cozad Asset Management Inc. increased its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 4.6% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 23,755 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after buying an additional 1,046 shares during the quarter. UnitedHealth Group comprises 1.2% of Cozad Asset Management Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 17th biggest holding. Cozad Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $12,442,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Hurley Capital LLC acquired a new position in UnitedHealth Group during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd purchased a new stake in UnitedHealth Group during the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda acquired a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the fourth quarter worth about $41,000. Finally, Copia Wealth Management acquired a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter valued at $42,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.86% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at UnitedHealth Group

In other UnitedHealth Group 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 transaction of $179,645.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 10,398 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,171,390. The trade was a 5.36% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO John F. Rex bought 17,175 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 16th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $291.12 per share, for a total transaction of $4,999,986.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief financial officer directly owned 203,796 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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 90 days, insiders have acquired 109,408 shares of company stock worth $31,607,768. 0.28% of the stock is owned by insiders.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE UNH traded down $13.07 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $236.50. 30,837,064 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 11,921,978. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $298.02 and its 200 day simple moving average is $418.35. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 52 week low of $235.70 and a 52 week high of $630.73. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $214.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.24, a P/E/G ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 0.45.

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

UnitedHealth Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 24th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 16th were issued a $2.21 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 16th. This represents a $8.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.7%. This is a boost from UnitedHealth Group's previous quarterly dividend of $2.10. UnitedHealth Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 37.02%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UNH has been the topic of several research reports. Raymond James Financial cut shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "strong-buy" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $405.00 to $418.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, June 20th. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $355.00 to $286.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. Piper Sandler reduced their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $353.00 to $317.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Barclays reaffirmed an "overweight" rating on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Thursday, July 17th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, UnitedHealth Group has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $373.52.

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.