Davidson Investment Advisors Boosts Stake in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)

Davidson Investment Advisors lifted its stake in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 70.0% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 32,059 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after buying an additional 13,202 shares during the period. Davidson Investment Advisors' holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $16,791,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of UNH. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the fourth quarter worth approximately $6,375,744,000. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in UnitedHealth Group by 56,142.1% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 8,295,153 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $4,344,586,000 after buying an additional 8,280,404 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its position in UnitedHealth Group by 36.6% during the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 8,592,718 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $4,346,712,000 after buying an additional 2,301,010 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp boosted its position in UnitedHealth Group by 12.5% during 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 period. Finally, Capital International Investors increased its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 6.2% during 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 purchasing an additional 906,365 shares during the period. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Down 1.6%

UNH stock traded down $4.80 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $303.75. The company's stock had a trading volume of 9,010,516 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,565,853. The company has a market cap of $275.54 billion, a PE ratio of 12.72, a P/E/G ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 0.45. The firm's 50-day moving average is $324.99 and its 200-day moving average is $447.02. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 12 month low of $248.88 and a 12 month high of $630.73. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 17th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $7.20 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $7.29 by ($0.09). UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 5.39% and a return on equity of 26.29%. The business had revenue of $109.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $111.56 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $6.91 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 24th. Investors of record on Monday, June 16th were given a dividend of $2.21 per share. This represents a $8.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.91%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 16th. This is a boost from UnitedHealth Group's previous quarterly dividend of $2.10. UnitedHealth Group's dividend payout ratio is 37.02%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UNH has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. HSBC restated a "reduce" rating and set a $270.00 target price (down previously from $490.00) on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. Oppenheimer dropped their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $600.00 to $400.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $400.00 to $385.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, June 25th. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an "overweight" rating on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Friday, June 6th. Finally, Bank of America lowered UnitedHealth Group from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and dropped their price target for the company from $560.00 to $350.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, UnitedHealth Group presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $415.57.

Insider Buying and Selling at UnitedHealth Group

In other UnitedHealth Group news, Director Timothy Patrick Flynn acquired 1,533 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 14th. The shares were bought at an average price of $320.80 per share, with a total value of $491,786.40. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 6,033 shares in the company, 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 the SEC website. Also, CFO John F. Rex purchased 17,175 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 16th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $291.12 per share, for a total transaction of $4,999,986.00. Following the purchase, the chief financial officer directly owned 203,796 shares in the company, valued at approximately $59,329,091.52. The trade was a 9.20% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders purchased 109,408 shares of company stock worth $31,607,768. 0.28% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.