Park Avenue Securities LLC Acquires 828 Shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)

Park Avenue Securities LLC boosted its holdings in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 2.6% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 32,862 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after purchasing an additional 828 shares during the period. Park Avenue Securities LLC's holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $17,211,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. NewSquare Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Hurley Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd bought a new stake in UnitedHealth Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Promus Capital LLC bought a new position in UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

UnitedHealth Group Price Performance

UnitedHealth Group stock traded up $7.40 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $303.24. The company's stock had a trading volume of 12,558,756 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,009,546. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 12 month low of $248.88 and a 12 month high of $630.73. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $409.03 and its 200-day moving average price is $483.40. The company has a market capitalization of $275.08 billion, a PE ratio of 19.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 0.44.

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

UnitedHealth Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 24th. Investors of record on Monday, June 16th will be given a dividend of $2.21 per share. This represents a $8.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.92%. This is a positive change from UnitedHealth Group's previous quarterly dividend of $2.10. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 16th. UnitedHealth Group's payout ratio is presently 37.02%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on UNH shares. Robert W. Baird dropped their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $510.00 to $356.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Piper Sandler reduced their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $552.00 to $353.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, June 3rd. Erste Group Bank downgraded shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Oppenheimer decreased their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $600.00 to $400.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $521.00 to $362.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and seventeen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, UnitedHealth Group presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $428.43.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director John H. Noseworthy bought 300 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 14th. The stock was bought at an average price of $312.16 per share, with a total value of $93,648.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 6,063 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,892,626.08. This represents a 5.21% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Timothy Patrick Flynn acquired 1,533 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 14th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $320.80 per share, with a total value of $491,786.40. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 6,033 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,935,386.40. This represents a 34.07% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders acquired 109,408 shares of company stock worth $31,607,768. 0.33% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.