UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) Shares Sold by Sierra Capital LLC

Sierra Capital LLC lowered its stake in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 60.2% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,819 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after selling 2,757 shares during the period. Sierra Capital LLC's holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $953,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Hurley Capital LLC purchased a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd purchased a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda purchased a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the fourth quarter worth $41,000. Finally, Copia Wealth Management acquired a new stake in UnitedHealth Group in the fourth quarter valued at $42,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.86% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have weighed in on UNH. Argus lowered UnitedHealth Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, April 21st. Wall Street Zen lowered UnitedHealth Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, May 24th. TD Cowen lowered UnitedHealth Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $308.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Monday, May 19th. HSBC reissued a "reduce" rating and issued a $270.00 target price (down previously from $490.00) on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. Finally, Bank of America lowered UnitedHealth Group from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $560.00 to $350.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, UnitedHealth Group has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $415.57.

UnitedHealth Group Trading Down 2.5%

NYSE UNH traded down $7.58 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $300.12. 5,802,335 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,584,934. The business's 50 day moving average is $320.63 and its 200-day moving average is $444.69. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 12-month low of $248.88 and a 12-month high of $630.73. The firm has a market capitalization of $272.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 0.85.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 17th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $7.20 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $7.29 by ($0.09). The firm had revenue of $109.58 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $111.56 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 26.29% and a net margin of 5.39%. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $6.91 earnings per share. As a group, analysts anticipate that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 24th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 16th were issued a $2.21 dividend. This represents a $8.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.95%. This is an increase 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 37.02%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Patrick Hugh Conway sold 589 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $305.00, for a total transaction of $179,645.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 10,398 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,171,390. This trade represents a 5.36% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Timothy Patrick Flynn bought 1,533 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 14th. The shares were bought at an average price of $320.80 per share, for a total transaction of $491,786.40. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 6,033 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,935,386.40. This trade represents a 34.07% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders bought 109,408 shares of company stock worth $31,607,768. Corporate insiders own 0.28% of the company's stock.

UnitedHealth Group Company 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.