Schnieders Capital Management LLC Sells 1,352 Shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)

Key Points

• Schnieders Capital Management LLC reduced its position in UnitedHealth Group by 10.0%, selling 1,352 shares and holding 12,114 shares valued at approximately $6.3 million.
• Institutional investors hold 87.86% of UnitedHealth Group's stock, with several firms, including GAMMA Investing LLC and Vanguard Group Inc., significantly increasing their stakes during the first quarter.
• UnitedHealth Group's quarterly earnings report showed a miss on earnings per share estimates, posting $4.08 compared to the expected $4.45, alongside a 12.9% year-over-year revenue growth.

Schnieders Capital Management LLC reduced its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 10.0% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 12,114 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after selling 1,352 shares during the quarter. UnitedHealth Group accounts for approximately 1.4% of Schnieders Capital Management LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 21st biggest holding. Schnieders Capital Management LLC's holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $6,344,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in UnitedHealth Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Bayforest Capital Ltd grew its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 685.7% in the first quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd now owns 55 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd purchased a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda purchased a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Finally, Copia Wealth Management purchased a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter worth $42,000. 87.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Down 0.6%

UNH stock traded down $1.37 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $244.42. The company's stock had a trading volume of 11,331,473 shares, compared to its average volume of 18,403,832. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73. The company has a market capitalization of $221.72 billion, a PE ratio of 10.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.43. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 12 month low of $234.60 and a 12 month high of $630.73. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $292.78 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $408.71.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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). The firm had revenue of $111.62 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $111.75 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 23.32% and a net margin of 5.04%. UnitedHealth Group's quarterly revenue was up 12.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $6.80 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 earnings per share for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 24th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 16th were issued a $2.21 dividend. This is a boost from UnitedHealth Group's previous quarterly dividend of $2.10. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 16th. This represents a $8.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.6%. UnitedHealth Group's payout ratio is currently 38.30%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UNH has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Hsbc Global Res lowered shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "hold" rating to a "moderate sell" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. Argus lowered shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, April 21st. KeyCorp cut their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $400.00 to $350.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Wolfe Research dropped their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $501.00 to $390.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. Finally, Mizuho reduced their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $515.00 to $350.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 16th. 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.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $366.52.

Insider Transactions at UnitedHealth Group

In other UnitedHealth Group news, Director Kristen Gil acquired 3,700 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 15th. The stock was bought at an average price of $271.17 per share, for a total transaction of $1,003,329.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 3,818 shares in the company, valued at $1,035,327.06. This represents a 3,135.59% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Stephen J. Hemsley acquired 86,700 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 16th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $288.57 per share, with a total value of $25,019,019.00. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer owned 679,493 shares in the company, valued at approximately $196,081,295.01. This represents a 14.63% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders purchased 109,408 shares of company stock worth $31,607,768. 0.28% of the stock is currently owned by 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.