Equitable Trust Co. Purchases 2,260 Shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)

Key Points

• Equitable Trust Co. increased its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 19.5%, acquiring an additional 2,260 shares, making its total holdings worth approximately $7.25 million.
• Recent analyst ratings for UnitedHealth Group reflect a mixed outlook, with Morgan Stanley reducing its price target from $563 to $374 and several others downgrading their ratings.
• UnitedHealth Group announced a quarterly dividend of $2.21, which represents an increase from its previous dividend and equates to an annual yield of 3.17%.

Equitable Trust Co. lifted its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 19.5% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 13,850 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after purchasing an additional 2,260 shares during the period. Equitable Trust Co.'s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $7,254,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in UnitedHealth Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Hurley Capital LLC bought a new stake in UnitedHealth Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd bought a new stake in UnitedHealth Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda bought a new stake in UnitedHealth Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $41,000. Finally, Copia Wealth Management acquired a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $42,000. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Up 0.8%

NYSE UNH traded up $2.11 on Friday, hitting $280.69. 16,445,593 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 12,350,532. The company has a market cap of $254.62 billion, a PE ratio of 11.75, a PEG ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 0.45. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 12 month low of $248.88 and a 12 month high of $630.73. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $301.58 and a 200-day moving average of $425.60. 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 Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 24th. Investors of record on Monday, June 16th were paid a dividend of $2.21 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 16th. This is a positive change from UnitedHealth Group's previous quarterly dividend of $2.10. This represents a $8.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.15%. UnitedHealth Group's dividend payout ratio is currently 37.02%.

Insider Buying and Selling at UnitedHealth Group

In related news, CEO Stephen J. Hemsley bought 86,700 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 16th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $288.57 per share, with a total value of $25,019,019.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer directly owned 679,493 shares in the company, valued at $196,081,295.01. The trade was a 14.63% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Kristen Gil acquired 3,700 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 15th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $271.17 per share, for a total transaction of $1,003,329.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 3,818 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,035,327.06. This represents a 3,135.59% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders purchased 109,408 shares of company stock valued at $31,607,768 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.28% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. KeyCorp dropped their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $450.00 to $400.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, June 2nd. TD Securities restated a "hold" rating and issued a $308.00 target price (down from $520.00) on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Monday, May 19th. TD Cowen cut shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $308.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Monday, May 19th. Hsbc Global Res cut shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "hold" rating to a "moderate sell" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 21st. Finally, Baird R W cut shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, UnitedHealth Group presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $392.29.

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.