Gulf International Bank UK Ltd Sells 19,166 Shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)

Key Points

• Gulf International Bank UK Ltd reduced its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 26.6% in Q1, selling 19,166 shares, bringing its total ownership to 52,824 shares valued at approximately $27.67 million.
• Insider transactions revealed both selling and buying activity, with CEO Patrick Hugh Conway selling 589 shares while CEO Stephen J. Hemsley acquired 86,700 shares, indicating mixed confidence among executives.
• UnitedHealth Group announced a recent quarterly dividend increase to $2.21 per share, up from $2.10, representing an annualized yield of 3.4%.

Gulf International Bank UK Ltd decreased its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 26.6% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 52,824 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after selling 19,166 shares during the period. UnitedHealth Group comprises 1.0% of Gulf International Bank UK Ltd's portfolio, making the stock its 15th biggest holding. Gulf International Bank UK Ltd's holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $27,666,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. National Pension Service lifted its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 5.7% during the first quarter. National Pension Service now owns 1,830,167 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $958,550,000 after acquiring an additional 98,245 shares during the period. LGT Group Foundation grew its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 62.7% during the first quarter. LGT Group Foundation now owns 47,981 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $25,130,000 after buying an additional 18,493 shares during the last quarter. LGT Fund Management Co Ltd. raised its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 13.3% in the first quarter. LGT Fund Management Co Ltd. now owns 41,189 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $21,573,000 after acquiring an additional 4,838 shares during the last quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd grew its position in UnitedHealth Group by 416.7% during the 1st quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd now owns 62 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its position in UnitedHealth Group by 7.1% in the 1st quarter. Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 304,422 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $159,104,000 after purchasing an additional 20,241 shares during the last quarter. 87.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 10,398 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,171,390. This represents a 5.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Stephen J. Hemsley acquired 86,700 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 16th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $288.57 per share, for a total transaction of $25,019,019.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer directly owned 679,493 shares of the company's stock, valued at $196,081,295.01. The trade was a 14.63% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders purchased 107,575 shares of company stock valued at $31,022,334. Company insiders own 0.28% of the company's stock.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Up 3.7%

UNH stock opened at $261.59 on Wednesday. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 1-year low of $234.60 and a 1-year high of $630.73. The firm has a market capitalization of $237.30 billion, a PE ratio of 11.33, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.43. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $289.94 and its 200 day simple moving average is $402.24. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73.

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

UnitedHealth Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 24th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 16th were given a dividend of $2.21 per share. This represents a $8.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 16th. This is a positive change from UnitedHealth Group's previous quarterly dividend of $2.10. UnitedHealth Group's dividend payout ratio is currently 38.30%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on UNH. Oppenheimer dropped their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $400.00 to $325.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $418.00 to $310.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, August 6th. Hsbc Global Res downgraded UnitedHealth Group from a "hold" rating to a "moderate sell" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. Bank of America lowered their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $350.00 to $300.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, July 29th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, May 24th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently 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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