Heritage Wealth Advisors Has $222,000 Stock Holdings in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)

Key Points

• Heritage Wealth Advisors has drastically reduced its position in UnitedHealth Group, cutting its stake by 99.6% to just 423 shares after selling over 112,000 shares.
• UnitedHealth Group's recent quarterly earnings report showed earnings per share of $4.08, which missed analysts' estimates of $4.45.
• Despite potential adjustments in stock ratings, the consensus rating for UnitedHealth Group remains at "Hold" with a new price target of $373.52.

Heritage Wealth Advisors cut its holdings in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 99.6% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 423 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after selling 112,659 shares during the quarter. Heritage Wealth Advisors' holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $222,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of UNH. Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Hurley Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Bayforest Capital Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 685.7% in the 1st quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd now owns 55 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, IAG Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $42,000. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at UnitedHealth Group

In other UnitedHealth Group news, CEO Patrick Hugh Conway sold 589 shares of UnitedHealth Group 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 $3,171,390. The trade was a 5.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Stephen J. Hemsley bought 86,700 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 16th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $288.57 per share, for a total transaction of $25,019,019.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 679,493 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $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. Over the last 90 days, insiders have purchased 109,408 shares of company stock valued at $31,607,768. Company insiders own 0.28% of the company's stock.

UnitedHealth Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE UNH traded down $12.16 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $237.40. The company had a trading volume of 39,874,177 shares, compared to its average volume of 15,268,949. 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 Incorporated has a one year low of $234.60 and a one year high of $630.73. The firm has a market cap of $215.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.29, a PEG ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 0.43. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $296.86 and its 200 day simple moving average is $416.24.

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

UnitedHealth Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 24th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 16th were given a $2.21 dividend. This is a boost from UnitedHealth Group's previous quarterly dividend of $2.10. This represents a $8.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.7%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 16th. UnitedHealth Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 37.02%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on UNH shares. Baird R W downgraded UnitedHealth Group from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Thursday. Wall Street Zen downgraded UnitedHealth Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, May 24th. Hsbc Global Res downgraded UnitedHealth Group from a "hold" rating to a "moderate sell" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. HSBC reaffirmed a "reduce" rating and set a $270.00 price target (down previously from $490.00) on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. Finally, Bank of America cut their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $350.00 to $300.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, UnitedHealth Group currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $373.52.

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.