Northstar Advisory Group LLC Takes $1.27 Million Position in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)

Northstar Advisory Group LLC acquired a new position in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 2,430 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock, valued at approximately $1,273,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. NewSquare Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. bought a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Hurley Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd bought a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Promus Capital LLC bought a new stake in UnitedHealth Group during the fourth quarter worth $32,000. Institutional investors own 87.86% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Timothy Patrick Flynn purchased 1,533 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 14th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $320.80 per share, with a total value of $491,786.40. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 6,033 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,935,386.40. This trade represents a 34.07% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Stephen J. Hemsley acquired 86,700 shares of the company's 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 acquisition, the chief executive officer now owns 679,493 shares in the company, valued at $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. In the last ninety days, insiders bought 109,408 shares of company stock worth $31,607,768. Insiders own 0.28% of the company's stock.

UnitedHealth Group Price Performance

UNH stock traded up $4.24 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $308.03. The company had a trading volume of 11,210,248 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,079,828. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $399.88 and a 200-day moving average price of $479.36. The company has a market capitalization of $279.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 0.83 and a quick ratio of 0.91. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 1-year low of $248.88 and a 1-year high of $630.73.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 17th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $7.20 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $7.29 by ($0.09). UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 3.60% and a return on equity of 26.69%. The firm had revenue of $109.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $111.56 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $6.91 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 earnings per share for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 24th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 16th will be paid a dividend of $2.21 per share. This represents a $8.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.87%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 16th. This is a boost from UnitedHealth Group's previous quarterly dividend of $2.10. UnitedHealth Group's payout ratio is presently 37.02%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UNH has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Erste Group Bank cut shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Wolfe Research dropped their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $501.00 to $390.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $525.00 to $405.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 15th. Argus cut shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $563.00 to $374.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $426.52.

UnitedHealth Group 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.