Heck Capital Advisors LLC Trims Stake in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)

Key Points

• Heck Capital Advisors LLC reduced its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 55.1% in the first quarter, holding 1,463 shares worth approximately $766,000 after selling 1,797 shares.
• Meanwhile, GAMMA Investing LLC significantly increased its position in UnitedHealth Group by 56,142.1%, acquiring 8,280,404 shares valued at $4.34 billion.
• UnitedHealth Group has faced negative revisions in price targets from various analysts, with Wells Fargo lowering their target from $306 to $267 and HSBC issuing a reduce rating with a new target of $270.

Heck Capital Advisors LLC reduced its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 55.1% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,463 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after selling 1,797 shares during the quarter. Heck Capital Advisors LLC's holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $766,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 56,142.1% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 8,295,153 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $4,344,586,000 after buying an additional 8,280,404 shares in the last quarter. Nuveen LLC purchased a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the first quarter valued at approximately $3,846,764,000. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 6.6% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 90,729,585 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $47,519,620,000 after buying an additional 5,583,343 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 36.6% during the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 8,592,718 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $4,346,712,000 after purchasing an additional 2,301,010 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp boosted its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 12.5% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 9,503,671 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $4,807,527,000 after buying an additional 1,058,488 shares during the last quarter. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at UnitedHealth Group

In related news, CEO Stephen J. Hemsley acquired 86,700 shares of UnitedHealth Group stock in a transaction 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 completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer directly owned 679,493 shares in the company, valued at $196,081,295.01. This trade represents a 14.63% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Patrick Hugh Conway sold 589 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $305.00, for a total value 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 represents a 5.36% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have bought a total of 107,575 shares of company stock worth $31,022,334 over the last ninety days. 0.28% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UNH has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $306.00 to $267.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, August 4th. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $355.00 to $286.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. HSBC reiterated a "reduce" rating and issued a $270.00 price objective (down previously from $490.00) on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. Truist Financial cut their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $360.00 to $345.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 16th. Finally, TD Securities reiterated a "hold" rating and issued a $308.00 price objective (down previously from $520.00) on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Monday, May 19th. Three research 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's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $366.52.

UnitedHealth Group Price Performance

UNH stock opened at $261.59 on Wednesday. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 52-week low of $234.60 and a 52-week high of $630.73. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $289.94 and its 200-day simple moving average is $402.24. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73. The stock has a market capitalization of $237.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.43.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $4.08 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates 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 analyst estimates of $111.75 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $6.80 EPS. UnitedHealth Group's revenue was up 12.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 EPS for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 23rd. Investors of record on Monday, September 15th will be issued a $2.21 dividend. This represents a $8.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.4%. UnitedHealth Group's payout ratio is currently 38.30%.

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.

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