UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) Stake Decreased by Phoenix Financial Ltd.

Key Points

• Phoenix Financial Ltd. reduced its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 33.8% during Q1, now owning 28,312 shares valued at approximately $14.8 million after selling 14,432 shares.
• Institutional investors currently own 87.86% of UnitedHealth Group's stock, highlighting a strong institutional interest in the company.
• UnitedHealth Group recently announced a quarterly dividend of $2.21 per share, reflecting an increase from the previous quarterly amount and showing a dividend yield of 3.17%.

Phoenix Financial Ltd. lowered its stake in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 33.8% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 28,312 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after selling 14,432 shares during the quarter. Phoenix Financial Ltd.'s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $14,847,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of UNH. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 19,956,219 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $10,068,869,000 after acquiring an additional 319,515 shares in the last quarter. Capital International Investors raised its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 906,365 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the fourth quarter worth approximately $6,375,744,000. Northern Trust Corp increased its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 12.5% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 9,503,671 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $4,807,527,000 after buying an additional 1,058,488 shares during the period. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. increased its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 10.7% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 8,923,770 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $4,514,178,000 after purchasing an additional 861,854 shares during the period. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Stephen J. Hemsley bought 86,700 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 16th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $288.57 per share, for a total transaction of $25,019,019.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer owned 679,493 shares in the company, valued at $196,081,295.01. This trade represents a 14.63% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Timothy Patrick Flynn purchased 1,533 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 14th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $320.80 per share, with a total value of $491,786.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 6,033 shares in the company, valued at $1,935,386.40. This trade represents a 34.07% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have bought 109,408 shares of company stock valued at $31,607,768. 0.28% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UNH has been the subject of several recent research reports. KeyCorp reduced their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $450.00 to $400.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, June 2nd. Hsbc Global Res cut UnitedHealth Group from a "hold" rating to a "moderate sell" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 21st. Robert W. Baird downgraded shares of UnitedHealth Group from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $312.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Wednesday, June 11th. Erste Group Bank downgraded UnitedHealth Group from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $563.00 to $374.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $392.29.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Performance

NYSE UNH traded up $2.11 on Friday, hitting $280.69. 16,445,593 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 12,350,532. The firm has a market cap of $254.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.75, a P/E/G ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.85. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $301.58 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $425.60. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $248.88 and a fifty-two week high of $630.73.

UnitedHealth Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 24th. Investors of record on Monday, June 16th were given a dividend of $2.21 per share. This represents a $8.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.15%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 16th. This is a boost from UnitedHealth Group's previous quarterly dividend of $2.10. UnitedHealth Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 37.02%.

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.