UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) Shares Sold by Prudential PLC

Key Points

• Prudential PLC reduced its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 6.5%, resulting in ownership of 62,563 shares worth approximately $32.77 million as of the end of the first quarter.
• In the first quarter, GAMMA Investing LLC dramatically increased its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 56,142.1%, now holding over 8.29 million shares valued at about $4.34 billion.
• UnitedHealth Group recently declared a quarterly dividend of $2.21 per share, which is an increase from the previous $2.10, reflecting a dividend yield of 3.5%.

Prudential PLC decreased its holdings in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 6.5% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 62,563 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after selling 4,353 shares during the quarter. Prudential PLC's holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $32,767,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Bayforest Capital Ltd lifted its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 685.7% in the first quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd now owns 55 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd lifted its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 416.7% in the first quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd now owns 62 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda purchased a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the fourth quarter worth approximately $41,000. Finally, Copia Wealth Management acquired a new stake in UnitedHealth Group during the fourth quarter worth approximately $42,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.86% of the company's stock.

UnitedHealth Group Trading Up 3.7%

Shares of NYSE:UNH traded up $9.22 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $261.59. The company's stock had a trading volume of 12,160,581 shares, compared to its average volume of 18,478,328. The firm has a market cap of $237.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 1 year low of $234.60 and a 1 year high of $630.73. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $289.94 and a 200 day moving average price of $402.24.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 29th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $4.08 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $4.45 by ($0.37). The business had revenue of $111.62 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $111.75 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 5.04% and a return on equity of 23.32%. UnitedHealth Group's revenue for the quarter was up 12.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $6.80 EPS. Research analysts forecast that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 EPS for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 24th. Investors of record on Monday, June 16th were issued a $2.21 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 16th. 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%. UnitedHealth Group's payout ratio is 38.30%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UNH has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Oppenheimer decreased their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $400.00 to $325.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Wall Street Zen downgraded UnitedHealth Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, May 24th. Raymond James Financial downgraded UnitedHealth Group from a "strong-buy" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Barclays restated an "overweight" rating on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Thursday, July 17th. Finally, Piper Sandler cut their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $353.00 to $317.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $366.52.

Insider Transactions at UnitedHealth Group

In related news, CEO Stephen J. Hemsley acquired 86,700 shares of the business's stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly 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 purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, 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 on Wednesday, May 14th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $320.80 per share, for a total transaction of $491,786.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 6,033 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,935,386.40. This trade represents a 34.07% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have acquired 109,408 shares of company stock valued at $31,607,768 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.28% of the company's stock.

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.