OVERSEA CHINESE BANKING Corp Ltd decreased its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 7.2% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 45,604 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after selling 3,541 shares during the period. OVERSEA CHINESE BANKING Corp Ltd's holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $23,865,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Capital International Investors grew its position in UnitedHealth Group by 6.2% in the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 15,616,007 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $7,899,905,000 after purchasing an additional 906,365 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp grew its position in UnitedHealth Group by 12.5% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 9,503,671 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $4,807,527,000 after purchasing an additional 1,058,488 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its position in UnitedHealth Group by 36.6% in the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 8,592,718 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $4,346,712,000 after purchasing an additional 2,301,010 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 56,142.1% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 8,295,153 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $4,344,586,000 after acquiring an additional 8,280,404 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 2.5% in the 1st quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 8,128,174 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $4,257,131,000 after acquiring an additional 196,696 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 87.86% of the company's stock.
Insider Activity at UnitedHealth Group
In related news, CEO Stephen J. Hemsley purchased 86,700 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 16th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $288.57 per share, with a total value 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Kristen Gil bought 3,700 shares of UnitedHealth Group stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 15th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $271.17 per share, for a total transaction of $1,003,329.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 3,818 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,035,327.06. The trade was a 3,135.59% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders purchased a total of 109,408 shares of company stock worth $31,607,768 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.28% of the company's stock.
UnitedHealth Group Price Performance
Shares of NYSE:UNH opened at $237.40 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $296.86 and a 200-day moving average of $416.24. The stock has a market capitalization of $215.36 billion, a PE ratio of 10.29, a PEG ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 12 month low of $234.60 and a 12 month 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 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.45 by ($0.37). The firm had revenue of $111.62 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $111.75 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 5.04% and a return on equity of 23.32%. UnitedHealth Group's quarterly revenue was up 12.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $6.80 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.
UnitedHealth Group Increases Dividend
The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 24th. Investors of record on Monday, June 16th were issued a dividend of $2.21 per share. This is a boost from UnitedHealth Group's previous quarterly dividend of $2.10. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 16th. This represents a $8.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.7%. UnitedHealth Group's payout ratio is presently 38.30%.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
A number of research analysts have recently commented on UNH shares. Robert W. Baird reissued an "underperform" rating and issued a $198.00 price objective (down previously from $312.00) on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Thursday. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $521.00 to $362.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Bank of America reduced their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $350.00 to $300.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Hsbc Global Res downgraded shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "hold" rating to a "moderate sell" rating in a report 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 has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $373.52.
Check Out Our Latest Research Report on UNH
UnitedHealth Group Profile
(
Free Report)
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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