UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) Shares Bought by IFP Advisors Inc

IFP Advisors Inc lifted its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 5.6% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 17,138 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after buying an additional 911 shares during the period. IFP Advisors Inc's holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $8,977,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of UNH. Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Hurley Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd bought a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda bought a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the fourth quarter worth about $41,000. Finally, Copia Wealth Management bought a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the fourth quarter worth about $42,000. 87.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Stephen J. Hemsley acquired 86,700 shares of UnitedHealth Group stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 16th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $288.57 per share, for a total transaction of $25,019,019.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer owned 679,493 shares of the company's stock, valued at $196,081,295.01. This trade represents a 14.63% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition 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 firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $305.00, for a total value of $179,645.00. Following the completion of the sale, 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders acquired a total of 109,408 shares of company stock worth $31,607,768 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.28% of the company's stock.

UnitedHealth Group Price Performance

Shares of UnitedHealth Group stock traded up $2.42 on Tuesday, hitting $284.56. 11,145,744 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,843,157. The stock has a market capitalization of $258.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $304.47 and a 200 day moving average price of $432.39. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 1-year low of $248.88 and a 1-year high of $630.73.

UnitedHealth Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 24th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 16th were paid a $2.21 dividend. This is a boost from UnitedHealth Group's previous quarterly dividend of $2.10. This represents a $8.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.11%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 16th. UnitedHealth Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 37.02%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UNH has been the subject of several recent research reports. KeyCorp reduced their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $450.00 to $400.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, June 2nd. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $563.00 to $374.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Oppenheimer dropped their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $600.00 to $400.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Hsbc Global Res lowered UnitedHealth Group from a "hold" rating to a "moderate sell" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. Finally, Raymond James Financial downgraded UnitedHealth Group from a "strong-buy" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. One equities 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. According to MarketBeat, UnitedHealth Group has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $394.43.

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.