UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) Stake Reduced by Leeward Financial Partners LLC

Key Points

• Leeward Financial Partners LLC has reduced its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 55.9%, trimming its holdings to 946 shares valued at $496,000.
• Despite the reductions from some investors, UnitedHealth Group's stock remains significantly owned by institutional investors, currently at 87.86%.
• UnitedHealth recently declared a quarterly dividend increase to $2.21 per share, representing a 3.5% yield, alongside reporting revenue growth of 12.9% year-over-year.

Leeward Financial Partners LLC cut its stake in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 55.9% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 946 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after selling 1,198 shares during the period. Leeward Financial Partners LLC's holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $496,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of UNH. Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Bayforest Capital Ltd raised its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 685.7% in the first 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 period. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd purchased a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda purchased a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Finally, Copia Wealth Management purchased a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $42,000. 87.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UNH has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Wolfe Research dropped their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $501.00 to $390.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. Robert W. Baird reiterated an "underperform" rating and set a $198.00 price objective (down previously from $312.00) on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. Mizuho dropped their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $515.00 to $350.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 16th. TD Securities reiterated a "hold" rating and set a $308.00 price objective (down previously from $520.00) on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Monday, May 19th. Finally, Hsbc Global Res lowered shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "hold" rating to a "moderate sell" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. Three equities research 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 MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $366.52.

Insider Activity at UnitedHealth Group

In related news, CEO Stephen J. Hemsley acquired 86,700 shares of UnitedHealth Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 16th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $288.57 per share, with a total value of $25,019,019.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer directly owned 679,493 shares of the company's stock, valued at $196,081,295.01. This trade represents a 14.63% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Timothy Patrick Flynn acquired 1,533 shares of UnitedHealth Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 14th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $320.80 per share, with a total value of $491,786.40. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 6,033 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,935,386.40. This trade represents a 34.07% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have acquired 109,408 shares of company stock valued at $31,607,768. Company insiders own 0.28% of the company's stock.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Performance

UNH stock traded down $1.37 during trading on Thursday, hitting $244.42. 11,331,473 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 18,403,832. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 52 week low of $234.60 and a 52 week high of $630.73. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $292.78 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $408.71. The stock has a market capitalization of $221.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.43.

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

UnitedHealth Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 24th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 16th were issued a dividend of $2.21 per share. This represents a $8.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.6%. This is a positive change from UnitedHealth Group's previous quarterly dividend of $2.10. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 16th. UnitedHealth Group's dividend payout ratio is presently 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.