Fayez Sarofim & Co Has $613.40 Million Stock Holdings in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)

Key Points

• Fayez Sarofim & Co reduced its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 24.6%, owning 1,163,591 shares valued at approximately $613.4 million after selling 378,858 shares in the 1st quarter.
• UnitedHealth Group recently announced a quarterly dividend increase to $2.21 per share, representing a 3.6% dividend yield.
• Following earnings results that missed analysts' expectations, several equities analysts have lowered their price targets for UnitedHealth Group shares, with average targets now around $366.52.

Fayez Sarofim & Co cut its holdings in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 24.6% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,163,591 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after selling 378,858 shares during the quarter. UnitedHealth Group makes up 1.5% of Fayez Sarofim & Co's holdings, making the stock its 21st biggest holding. Fayez Sarofim & Co owned approximately 0.13% of UnitedHealth Group worth $613,400,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of UNH. Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Bayforest Capital Ltd increased its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 685.7% in the 1st quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd now owns 55 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of 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 valued at approximately $41,000. Finally, Copia Wealth Management acquired a new stake in UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $42,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.86% of the company's stock.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Performance

Shares of UnitedHealth Group stock opened at $245.59 on Thursday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $293.86 and a 200-day moving average price of $410.54. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 52 week low of $234.60 and a 52 week high of $630.73. The company has a market cap of $222.78 billion, a PE ratio of 10.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $4.08 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.45 by ($0.37). UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 5.04% and a return on equity of 23.32%. The firm had revenue of $111.62 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $111.75 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $6.80 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 12.9% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 24th. Investors of record on Monday, June 16th were issued a $2.21 dividend. This is a boost from UnitedHealth Group's previous quarterly dividend of $2.10. 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 3.6%. UnitedHealth Group's payout ratio is presently 38.30%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Stephen J. Hemsley purchased 86,700 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 16th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $288.57 per share, with a total value of $25,019,019.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer directly owned 679,493 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $196,081,295.01. The trade was a 14.63% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Timothy Patrick Flynn purchased 1,533 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 14th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $320.80 per share, for a total transaction of $491,786.40. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 6,033 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,935,386.40. This represents a 34.07% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have purchased a total of 109,408 shares of company stock worth $31,607,768 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.28% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. KeyCorp dropped their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $400.00 to $350.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $355.00 to $286.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $521.00 to $362.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $418.00 to $310.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Argus lowered shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $366.52.

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.

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