Empyrean Capital Partners LP Purchases Shares of 120,000 UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH

Key Points

• Empyrean Capital Partners LP invested approximately $62.85 million in UnitedHealth Group, acquiring 120,000 shares, making it the 9th biggest holding in their portfolio.
• Several institutional investors have significantly increased their positions in UnitedHealth Group, with Bayforest Capital Ltd raising theirs by 685.7% in the first quarter.
• Despite missing earnings expectations, UnitedHealth Group reported a revenue of $111.62 billion for the quarter, with a 12.9% increase compared to the same quarter last year.

Empyrean Capital Partners LP bought a new stake in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 120,000 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock, valued at approximately $62,850,000. UnitedHealth Group accounts for approximately 2.2% of Empyrean Capital Partners LP's portfolio, making the stock its 9th biggest holding.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Financial Management Professionals Inc. raised its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 0.8% during the 1st quarter. Financial Management Professionals Inc. now owns 2,224 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $1,165,000 after buying an additional 17 shares during the period. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates raised its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 28.6% in the 1st quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates now owns 90 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $47,000 after buying an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Kolinsky Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Kolinsky Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,135 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $1,080,000 after purchasing an additional 21 shares during the last quarter. Retirement Planning Group LLC grew its position in UnitedHealth Group by 5.1% in the 1st quarter. Retirement Planning Group LLC now owns 430 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $225,000 after purchasing an additional 21 shares during the period. Finally, Net Worth Advisory Group grew its position in UnitedHealth Group by 0.6% in the 1st quarter. Net Worth Advisory Group now owns 3,642 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $1,907,000 after purchasing an additional 21 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.86% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on UNH. TD Cowen cut UnitedHealth Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $308.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Monday, May 19th. Barclays reaffirmed an "overweight" rating on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Thursday, July 17th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $290.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, August 18th. Truist Financial lowered their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $360.00 to $345.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 16th. Finally, UBS Group reissued a "buy" rating on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Thursday, July 17th. 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 stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $353.00.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Patrick Hugh Conway sold 589 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 10th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at approximately $3,171,390. This represents a 5.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.28% of the company's stock.

UnitedHealth Group Trading Down 0.5%

Shares of UNH traded down $1.53 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $307.27. The stock had a trading volume of 9,530,699 shares, compared to its average volume of 18,019,772. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 12-month low of $234.60 and a 12-month high of $630.73. The firm has a market cap of $278.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.31, a P/E/G ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 0.45. 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 company's fifty day simple moving average is $288.51 and its 200 day simple moving average is $377.17.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results 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 net margin of 5.04% and a return on equity of 23.32%. The company had revenue of $111.62 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $111.75 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $6.80 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 12.9% on a year-over-year basis. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2025 guidance at 16.000- EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 23rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 15th will be paid a dividend of $2.21 per share. This represents a $8.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 15th. UnitedHealth Group's dividend payout ratio is currently 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.