Forsta AP Fonden Sells 15,700 Shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)

Forsta AP Fonden lowered its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 6.3% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 231,700 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after selling 15,700 shares during the quarter. UnitedHealth Group comprises 0.9% of Forsta AP Fonden's portfolio, making the stock its 16th largest position. Forsta AP Fonden's holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $121,353,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Bayforest Capital Ltd raised its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 685.7% in the first quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd now owns 55 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. IAG Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in UnitedHealth Group during the 1st quarter valued at about $42,000. Finally, Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda bought a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the fourth quarter worth approximately $41,000. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at UnitedHealth Group

In other UnitedHealth Group news, Director Timothy Patrick Flynn purchased 1,533 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 14th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $320.80 per share, with a total value of $491,786.40. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 6,033 shares in the company, valued at $1,935,386.40. The trade was a 34.07% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Patrick Hugh Conway sold 589 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 owned 10,398 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,171,390. This trade represents a 5.36% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have bought a total of 109,408 shares of company stock valued at $31,607,768 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.28% of the company's stock.

UnitedHealth Group Trading Down 0.6%

NYSE UNH opened at $244.42 on Friday. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $292.78 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $408.71. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a one year low of $234.60 and a one year high of $630.73. The company has a market capitalization of $221.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 0.85.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $4.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.45 by ($0.37). The company had revenue of $111.62 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $111.75 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 5.04% and a return on equity of 23.32%. The firm's revenue was up 12.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $6.80 EPS. Equities analysts forecast 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 was paid on Tuesday, June 24th. Investors of record on Monday, June 16th were given 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.6%. UnitedHealth Group's dividend payout ratio is currently 38.30%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently weighed in on UNH. Erste Group Bank cut UnitedHealth Group from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Baird R W downgraded UnitedHealth Group from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. Robert W. Baird reissued an "underperform" rating and issued a $198.00 price objective (down previously from $312.00) on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Thursday, July 31st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $521.00 to $362.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered UnitedHealth Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, May 24th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $366.52.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.