National Pension Service Has $958.55 Million Stock Position in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)

Key Points

• The National Pension Service has increased its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 5.7%, owning 1,830,167 shares valued at approximately $958.55 million.
• Multiple hedge funds have adjusted their positions in UnitedHealth, with significant increases from LGT Group and Clal Insurance Enterprises, highlighting strong institutional interest in the company.
• Analysts have mixed opinions on the stock, with several price targets lowered, but the overall consensus maintains a "Hold" rating with an average target price of $366.52.

National Pension Service boosted its position in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 5.7% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,830,167 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after purchasing an additional 98,245 shares during the period. UnitedHealth Group comprises 0.9% of National Pension Service's holdings, making the stock its 17th largest position. National Pension Service owned about 0.20% of UnitedHealth Group worth $958,550,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. LGT Group Foundation lifted its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 62.7% in the 1st quarter. LGT Group Foundation now owns 47,981 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $25,130,000 after purchasing an additional 18,493 shares during the last quarter. LGT Fund Management Co Ltd. lifted its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 13.3% in the 1st quarter. LGT Fund Management Co Ltd. now owns 41,189 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $21,573,000 after purchasing an additional 4,838 shares during the last quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd raised its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 416.7% in the 1st quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd now owns 62 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the period. Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 7.1% in the 1st quarter. Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 304,422 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $159,104,000 after acquiring an additional 20,241 shares during the period. Finally, Arrowpoint Investment Partners Singapore Pte. Ltd. bought a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the 1st quarter valued at about $733,000. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have weighed in on the stock. TD Cowen cut shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $308.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Monday, May 19th. Wolfe Research lowered their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $501.00 to $390.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $355.00 to $286.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Erste Group Bank cut shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Finally, Barclays reaffirmed an "overweight" rating on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Thursday, July 17th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $366.52.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Performance

NYSE UNH opened at $261.59 on Wednesday. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $237.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.33, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.43. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $289.94 and its 200 day simple moving average is $402.24. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 1 year low of $234.60 and a 1 year high of $630.73.

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 company had revenue of $111.62 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $111.75 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $6.80 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 12.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts expect that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Increases Dividend

The business 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 an increase from UnitedHealth Group's previous quarterly dividend of $2.10. This represents a $8.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 16th. UnitedHealth Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 38.30%.

Insider Activity at UnitedHealth Group

In other news, CEO Patrick Hugh Conway sold 589 shares of UnitedHealth Group stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $305.00, for a total transaction of $179,645.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 10,398 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,171,390. The trade was a 5.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Stephen J. Hemsley purchased 86,700 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 16th. The shares were acquired at an average price 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 position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have bought 107,575 shares of company stock worth $31,022,334. Corporate insiders own 0.28% of the company's stock.

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding UNH? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.