Dividend Assets Capital LLC Buys 1,875 Shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)

Dividend Assets Capital LLC increased its position in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 8.3% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 24,338 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after purchasing an additional 1,875 shares during the period. UnitedHealth Group comprises about 2.4% of Dividend Assets Capital LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 10th biggest holding. Dividend Assets Capital LLC's holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $12,747,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of 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 worth $10,068,869,000 after acquiring an additional 319,515 shares in the last quarter. Capital International Investors raised its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 6.2% during the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 15,616,007 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $7,899,905,000 after purchasing an additional 906,365 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the fourth quarter worth approximately $6,375,744,000. Northern Trust Corp lifted its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 12.5% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 9,503,671 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $4,807,527,000 after acquiring an additional 1,058,488 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. increased its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 10.7% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 8,923,770 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $4,514,178,000 after purchasing an additional 861,854 shares during the last quarter. 87.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:UNH traded up $0.70 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $303.89. 11,347,403 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,047,420. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $404.62 and its 200-day simple moving average is $480.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 0.83. The company has a market capitalization of $275.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 0.44. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 1-year low of $248.88 and a 1-year high of $630.73.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 17th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $7.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $7.29 by ($0.09). The business had revenue of $109.58 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $111.56 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 3.60% and a return on equity of 26.69%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $6.91 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 24th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 16th will be issued a $2.21 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 16th. This is a boost from UnitedHealth Group's previous quarterly dividend of $2.10. This represents a $8.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.91%. UnitedHealth Group's dividend payout ratio is presently 37.02%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $563.00 to $374.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Erste Group Bank lowered UnitedHealth Group from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Bank of America cut UnitedHealth Group from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $560.00 to $350.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $525.00 to $355.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Finally, Wolfe Research lowered 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and seventeen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $428.43.

Insider Buying and Selling at UnitedHealth Group

In other news, CFO John F. Rex bought 17,175 shares of UnitedHealth Group stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 16th. The shares were bought 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 now owns 203,796 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $59,329,091.52. This trade represents a 9.20% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Kristen Gil purchased 3,700 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 15th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $271.17 per share, with a total value of $1,003,329.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 3,818 shares in the company, valued at $1,035,327.06. The trade was a 3,135.59% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have purchased 109,408 shares of company stock worth $31,607,768 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.33% 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.