Raiffeisen Bank International AG Purchases 4,704 Shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)

Key Points

• Raiffeisen Bank International AG increased its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 7.8%, acquiring an additional 4,704 shares, bringing its total to 64,813 shares valued at approximately $33.4 million.
• UnitedHealth Group reported earnings per share (EPS) of $4.08 for the last quarter, which was below analysts' consensus estimate of $4.45, although revenues increased by 12.9% year-over-year.
• The company recently declared an increased quarterly dividend of $2.21 per share, up from $2.10, contributing to an annualized dividend yield of 3.7%.

Raiffeisen Bank International AG grew its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 7.8% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 64,813 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after purchasing an additional 4,704 shares during the period. Raiffeisen Bank International AG's holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $33,449,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Citizens National Bank Trust Department grew its position in UnitedHealth Group by 1.0% in the 1st quarter. Citizens National Bank Trust Department now owns 17,886 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $9,368,000 after purchasing an additional 170 shares during the period. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH grew its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 0.3% during the 1st quarter. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH now owns 530,103 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $277,641,000 after acquiring an additional 1,465 shares during the period. Sherbrooke Park Advisers LLC bought a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter valued at $515,000. Full Sail Capital LLC grew its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. Full Sail Capital LLC now owns 1,612 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $815,000 after acquiring an additional 33 shares during the period. Finally, Soros Fund Management LLC purchased a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $39,413,000. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently issued reports on UNH shares. KeyCorp decreased their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $400.00 to $350.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. UBS Group restated a "buy" rating on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Thursday, July 17th. HSBC restated a "reduce" rating and set a $270.00 target price (down from $490.00) on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Wednesday, May 21st. Mizuho cut their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $515.00 to $350.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 16th. Finally, TD Cowen downgraded shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $308.00 target price on the stock. in a research note on Monday, May 19th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $373.52.

UnitedHealth Group Trading Down 4.9%

NYSE UNH traded down $12.16 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $237.40. 39,874,177 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 17,268,408. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $296.86 and a 200 day simple moving average of $414.69. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 1-year low of $234.60 and a 1-year high of $630.73. The firm has a market cap of $215.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.29, a PEG ratio of 1.50 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 (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $4.08 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $4.45 by ($0.37). The company had revenue of $111.62 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $111.75 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 5.04% and a return on equity of 23.32%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 12.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $6.80 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast 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. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 16th were given a $2.21 dividend. This represents a $8.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.7%. This is a boost from UnitedHealth Group's previous quarterly dividend of $2.10. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 16th. UnitedHealth Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 38.30%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO John F. Rex bought 17,175 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 16th. The stock was bought at an average price of $291.12 per share, with a total value of $4,999,986.00. Following the purchase, the chief financial officer owned 203,796 shares in the company, valued at approximately $59,329,091.52. The trade was a 9.20% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Stephen J. Hemsley purchased 86,700 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 16th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $288.57 per share, with a total value of $25,019,019.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 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. Insiders bought 109,408 shares of company stock valued at $31,607,768 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.28% of the company's stock.

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.