IMS Capital Management Acquires Shares of 6,762 UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH

Key Points

• IMS Capital Management has acquired 6,762 shares of UnitedHealth Group, valued at approximately $2.11 million, making it the 29th largest holding in their portfolio.
• Recent analyst ratings reflect mixed opinions, with Barclays raising the target price to $352, while Baird R W downgraded the stock to a "strong sell."
• UnitedHealth Group announced a quarterly dividend of $2.21 per share, which translates to an annual yield of 2.5% based on its current payout ratio of 38.30%.

IMS Capital Management purchased a new stake in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 6,762 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock, valued at approximately $2,110,000. UnitedHealth Group makes up 1.0% of IMS Capital Management's investment portfolio, making the stock its 29th largest holding.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Brighton Jones LLC grew its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 176.2% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 44,249 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $22,384,000 after purchasing an additional 28,231 shares during the period. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC boosted its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 137.1% in the 4th quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 4,019 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $2,033,000 after buying an additional 2,324 shares during the last quarter. Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. acquired a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,973,000. Armis Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the fourth quarter worth approximately $282,000. Finally, Park Square Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the 4th quarter valued at $402,000. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on UNH shares. Baird R W cut shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. Barclays boosted their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $337.00 to $352.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, September 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $418.00 to $310.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, August 6th. Bank of America raised their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $290.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, August 18th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $325.00 to $395.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, September 12th. Sixteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, UnitedHealth Group currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $358.95.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Up 1.9%

Shares of NYSE:UNH opened at $347.89 on Wednesday. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $297.61 and a 200 day moving average price of $362.39. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 12-month low of $234.60 and a 12-month high of $630.73. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73. The company has a market capitalization of $315.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.07, a PEG ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 0.44.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly 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 company had revenue of $111.62 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $111.75 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $6.80 earnings per share. UnitedHealth Group's revenue was up 12.9% on a year-over-year basis. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2025 guidance at 16.000- EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 EPS for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 23rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 15th were paid a $2.21 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 15th. This represents a $8.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.5%. UnitedHealth Group's payout ratio is presently 38.30%.

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.

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