First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. Acquires 1,923 Shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)

First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. lifted its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 5.0% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 40,443 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after acquiring an additional 1,923 shares during the quarter. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co.'s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $21,182,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. NewSquare Capital LLC purchased a new stake in UnitedHealth Group in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Hurley Capital LLC purchased a new stake in UnitedHealth Group in the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd bought a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Promus Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. Institutional investors own 87.86% of the company's stock.

UnitedHealth Group Trading Up 2.5%

Shares of UNH stock opened at $303.24 on Monday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $409.03 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $482.60. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 52-week low of $248.88 and a 52-week high of $630.73. The firm has a market capitalization of $275.08 billion, a PE ratio of 19.56, a PEG ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 0.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 0.83.

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

UnitedHealth Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 24th. Investors of record on Monday, June 16th will be given a $2.21 dividend. This is an increase 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 2.92%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 16th. UnitedHealth Group's payout ratio is currently 37.02%.

Insider Buying and Selling at UnitedHealth Group

In related news, CEO Stephen J. Hemsley purchased 86,700 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 16th. The shares were bought at an average price of $288.57 per share, for a total transaction of $25,019,019.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer now owns 679,493 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $196,081,295.01. This represents a 14.63% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CFO John F. Rex bought 17,175 shares of UnitedHealth Group stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 16th. The stock was purchased at an average cost 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 position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders bought 109,408 shares of company stock worth $31,607,768 in the last quarter. 0.33% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Piper Sandler lowered their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $552.00 to $353.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, June 3rd. Barclays lowered their price objective on UnitedHealth Group to $350.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, June 2nd. Hsbc Global Res downgraded UnitedHealth Group from a "hold" rating to a "moderate sell" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $525.00 to $405.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 15th. Finally, Oppenheimer decreased their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $600.00 to $400.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and seventeen have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $428.43.

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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