Raymond James Financial Inc. Sells 113,636 Shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)

Key Points

• Raymond James Financial Inc. has reduced its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 3.0%, selling 113,636 shares and owning 3,671,484 shares, which comprises about 0.7% of its investment portfolio.
• UnitedHealth Group reported earnings of $4.08 per share for the last quarter, missing the consensus estimate by $0.37, while analysts expect a 29.54 EPS for the current year.
• UnitedHealth Group declared a quarterly dividend of $2.21 per share, with an annualized dividend of $8.84 and a yield of 2.9%, to be paid to shareholders on September 23rd.

Raymond James Financial Inc. reduced its holdings in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 3.0% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,671,484 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after selling 113,636 shares during the quarter. UnitedHealth Group accounts for about 0.7% of Raymond James Financial Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 19th largest position. Raymond James Financial Inc. owned 0.40% of UnitedHealth Group worth $1,922,941,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Citizens National Bank Trust Department lifted its holdings 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 buying an additional 170 shares during the period. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH raised its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 0.3% in the 1st quarter. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH now owns 530,103 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $277,641,000 after acquiring an additional 1,465 shares in the last quarter. Sherbrooke Park Advisers LLC bought a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $515,000. Full Sail Capital LLC increased its position in 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 buying an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Soros Fund Management LLC bought a new position in UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $39,413,000. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

UnitedHealth Group Trading Up 12.0%

Shares of NYSE UNH opened at $304.02 on Friday. The business's 50 day moving average is $288.91 and its two-hundred day moving average is $397.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.85. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 1-year low of $234.60 and a 1-year high of $630.73. The stock has a market capitalization of $275.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.17, a PEG ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 0.43.

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

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 23rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 15th will be issued a dividend of $2.21 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 15th. This represents a $8.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.9%. UnitedHealth Group's dividend payout ratio is currently 38.30%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently weighed in on UNH. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $306.00 to $267.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, August 4th. Bank of America reduced their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $350.00 to $300.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, July 29th. Wolfe Research dropped their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $501.00 to $390.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. Hsbc Global Res downgraded UnitedHealth Group from a "hold" rating to a "moderate sell" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. Finally, UBS Group restated a "buy" rating on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Thursday, July 17th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $366.52.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other UnitedHealth Group news, CEO Patrick Hugh Conway sold 589 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $305.00, for a total transaction of $179,645.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 10,398 shares in the company, valued at $3,171,390. This represents a 5.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.28% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.

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