GW&K Investment Management LLC Cuts Position in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)

GW&K Investment Management LLC lessened its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 61.1% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 41,747 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after selling 65,478 shares during the period. GW&K Investment Management LLC's holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $21,865,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of UNH. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 19,956,219 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $10,068,869,000 after acquiring an additional 319,515 shares in the last quarter. Capital International Investors boosted its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 6.2% in the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 15,616,007 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $7,899,905,000 after acquiring an additional 906,365 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the fourth quarter worth $6,375,744,000. Northern Trust Corp raised its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 12.5% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 9,503,671 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $4,807,527,000 after purchasing an additional 1,058,488 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 10.7% in the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 8,923,770 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $4,514,178,000 after purchasing an additional 861,854 shares during the last quarter. 87.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently weighed in on UNH. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $525.00 to $355.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Robert W. Baird cut UnitedHealth Group from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $312.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Wednesday, June 11th. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an "overweight" rating on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Friday, June 6th. Hsbc Global Res cut UnitedHealth Group from a "hold" rating to a "moderate sell" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 21st. Finally, Baird R W cut UnitedHealth Group from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $394.43.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Patrick Hugh Conway sold 589 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 10th. The stock was 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 directly owned 10,398 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,171,390. This trade represents a 5.36% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, 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 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 position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders purchased 109,408 shares of company stock worth $31,607,768 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.28% of the company's stock.

UnitedHealth Group Trading Up 1.1%

Shares of NYSE:UNH traded up $3.06 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $285.20. The company had a trading volume of 14,233,925 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,873,392. The stock has a market cap of $258.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 0.45. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a one year low of $248.88 and a one year high of $630.73. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $304.47 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $432.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.85.

UnitedHealth Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared 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. 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 dividend yield of 3.10%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 16th. UnitedHealth Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 37.02%.

About UnitedHealth Group

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.