Thoroughbred Financial Services LLC Sells 1,970 Shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)

Key Points

• Thoroughbred Financial Services LLC reduced its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 16.2%, owning 10,215 shares valued at approximately $5.35 million as of the latest filing.
• UnitedHealth Group's recent earnings report showed a miss in EPS at $4.08 compared to the consensus of $4.45, with revenue at $111.62 billion, slightly below the $111.75 billion estimate.
• The company's quarterly dividend was increased to $2.21 per share from a previous $2.10, reflecting a 3.7% yield with a payout ratio of 38.30%.

Thoroughbred Financial Services LLC decreased its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 16.2% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 10,215 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after selling 1,970 shares during the quarter. Thoroughbred Financial Services LLC's holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $5,350,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of UNH. Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. bought a new position in UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Bayforest Capital Ltd raised its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 685.7% during the 1st quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd now owns 55 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the period. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd acquired a new stake in UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda acquired a new stake in UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $41,000. Finally, Copia Wealth Management acquired a new stake in UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $42,000. Institutional investors own 87.86% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at UnitedHealth Group

In related news, CEO Patrick Hugh Conway sold 589 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $305.00, for a total value of $179,645.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 10,398 shares in the company, valued at $3,171,390. This trade represents a 5.36% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Kristen Gil bought 3,700 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 15th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $271.17 per share, for a total transaction of $1,003,329.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 3,818 shares in the company, valued at $1,035,327.06. This represents a 3,135.59% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have acquired 109,408 shares of company stock worth $31,607,768. Corporate insiders own 0.28% of the company's stock.

UnitedHealth Group Trading Up 2.1%

NYSE:UNH traded up $5.03 on Friday, reaching $249.70. 7,390,861 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 12,084,746. The firm has a market capitalization of $226.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.43. The company's 50 day moving average is $292.78 and its 200-day moving average is $408.71. 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 Incorporated has a 1-year low of $234.60 and a 1-year high of $630.73.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last released 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 firm had revenue of $111.62 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $111.75 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 5.04% and a return on equity of 23.32%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 12.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $6.80 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 24th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 16th were given a dividend of $2.21 per share. This is a positive change 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.5%. UnitedHealth Group's payout ratio is 38.30%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UNH has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Bank of America dropped their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $350.00 to $300.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 29th. Oppenheimer cut their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $400.00 to $325.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, May 24th. Baird R W cut shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $418.00 to $310.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $366.52.

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.