Scotia Capital Inc. Cuts Holdings in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)

Scotia Capital Inc. lessened its stake in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 2.3% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 460,027 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after selling 10,909 shares during the period. UnitedHealth Group makes up about 1.3% of Scotia Capital Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 23rd biggest holding. Scotia Capital Inc. owned 0.05% of UnitedHealth Group worth $240,940,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of UNH. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 56,142.1% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 8,295,153 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $4,344,586,000 after purchasing an additional 8,280,404 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 36.6% in the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 8,592,718 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $4,346,712,000 after purchasing an additional 2,301,010 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp boosted its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 12.5% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 9,503,671 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $4,807,527,000 after purchasing an additional 1,058,488 shares in the last quarter. Capital International Investors boosted its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 6.2% in the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 15,616,007 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $7,899,905,000 after purchasing an additional 906,365 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH purchased a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the 4th quarter valued at $367,521,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.86% of the company's stock.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Down 4.9%

Shares of UnitedHealth Group stock opened at $237.40 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 0.85. The stock has a market capitalization of $215.36 billion, a PE ratio of 10.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 0.43. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 52-week low of $234.60 and a 52-week high of $630.73. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $296.86 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $415.36.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last issued 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). The firm had revenue of $111.62 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $111.75 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 23.32% and a net margin of 5.04%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 12.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $6.80 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate 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 paid a $2.21 dividend. This is a boost from UnitedHealth Group's previous quarterly dividend of $2.10. This represents a $8.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.7%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 16th. UnitedHealth Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 38.30%.

Insider Transactions at UnitedHealth Group

In related news, CEO Patrick Hugh Conway sold 589 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 10th. The shares were 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 directly owned 10,398 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,171,390. The trade was a 5.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO John F. Rex bought 17,175 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 16th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $291.12 per share, with a total value of $4,999,986.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 203,796 shares of the company's stock, valued at $59,329,091.52. This trade represents a 9.20% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders purchased 109,408 shares of company stock valued at $31,607,768. Company insiders own 0.28% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on UNH shares. Barclays reissued an "overweight" rating on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Thursday, July 17th. Piper Sandler dropped their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $353.00 to $317.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. TD Cowen cut shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $308.00 target price for the company. in a research report on Monday, May 19th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $351.00 to $306.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 25th. Finally, Baird R W lowered shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Thursday. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $373.52.

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.

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