TIAA Trust National Association Increases Position in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)

Key Points

• TIAA Trust National Association increased its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 8.3%, acquiring additional shares during the first quarter, bringing its total to 142,585 shares valued at approximately $74.68 million.
• UnitedHealth Group reported earnings per share (EPS) of $4.08 for the recent quarter, which missed analyst expectations of $4.45, despite an overall revenue increase of 12.9% year-over-year.
• The company recently raised its quarterly dividend from $2.10 to $2.21, representing an annualized dividend yield of 3.7% and a payout ratio of 38.30%.

TIAA Trust National Association lifted its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 8.3% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 142,585 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after purchasing an additional 10,899 shares during the quarter. TIAA Trust National Association's holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $74,679,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 56,142.1% during 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 acquiring an additional 8,280,404 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 36.6% during 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 worth $4,346,712,000 after purchasing an additional 2,301,010 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp boosted its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 12.5% during 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 buying an additional 1,058,488 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Investors increased its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 6.2% in the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 15,616,007 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $7,899,905,000 after buying an additional 906,365 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH bought a new position in UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter valued at $367,521,000. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Performance

UNH opened at $237.40 on Friday. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 1-year low of $234.60 and a 1-year high of $630.73. The company has a market capitalization of $215.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 0.43. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $296.86 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $416.24. 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 (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $4.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $4.45 by ($0.37). UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 23.32% and a net margin of 5.04%. The firm had revenue of $111.62 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $111.75 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $6.80 earnings per share. UnitedHealth Group's revenue was up 12.9% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict 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. Investors of record on Monday, June 16th were paid a $2.21 dividend. 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 3.7%. This is an increase from UnitedHealth Group's previous quarterly dividend of $2.10. UnitedHealth Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 38.30%.

Insider Transactions at UnitedHealth Group

In other news, Director Kristen Gil acquired 3,700 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 15th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $271.17 per share, for a total transaction of $1,003,329.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 3,818 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,035,327.06. This trade represents a 3,135.59% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Patrick Hugh Conway sold 589 shares of the firm's 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 10,398 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,171,390. This trade represents a 5.36% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have bought a total of 109,408 shares of company stock worth $31,607,768 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.28% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UNH has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Hsbc Global Res cut shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "hold" rating to a "moderate sell" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 21st. Oppenheimer reduced their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $400.00 to $325.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. TD Cowen lowered UnitedHealth Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $308.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Monday, May 19th. Wolfe Research lowered their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $501.00 to $390.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, May 24th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $373.52.

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.

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