UMB Bank n.a. Trims Stake in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)

UMB Bank n.a. reduced its holdings in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 3.5% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 87,107 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after selling 3,203 shares during the quarter. UMB Bank n.a.'s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $45,622,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. NewSquare Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Hurley Capital LLC purchased a new position in UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd bought a new stake in UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Promus Capital LLC purchased a new stake in UnitedHealth Group in the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Institutional investors own 87.86% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at UnitedHealth Group

In other UnitedHealth Group news, CFO John F. Rex acquired 17,175 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 16th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $291.12 per share, with a total value of $4,999,986.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief financial officer now directly owns 203,796 shares in the company, valued at $59,329,091.52. This represents a 9.20% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Stephen J. Hemsley bought 86,700 shares of UnitedHealth Group stock in a transaction on Friday, May 16th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $288.57 per share, with a total value of $25,019,019.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer now directly owns 679,493 shares of the company's stock, valued at $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 ninety days, insiders have purchased 109,408 shares of company stock worth $31,607,768. Insiders own 0.33% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently commented on UNH. Mizuho cut their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $515.00 to $350.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, May 24th. Oppenheimer lowered their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $600.00 to $400.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $525.00 to $355.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Finally, Hsbc Global Res cut shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "hold" rating to a "moderate sell" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and seventeen have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $428.43.

UnitedHealth Group Trading Up 2.5%

Shares of UNH stock opened at $303.24 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $275.08 billion, a PE ratio of 19.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 0.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 0.83 and a quick ratio of 0.91. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $409.03 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $483.40. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 1 year low of $248.88 and a 1 year high of $630.73.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 17th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $7.20 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $7.29 by ($0.09). The firm had revenue of $109.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $111.56 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 26.69% and a net margin of 3.60%. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $6.91 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 earnings per share for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 24th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 16th will be given a dividend of $2.21 per share. This represents a $8.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.92%. This is an increase from UnitedHealth Group's previous quarterly dividend of $2.10. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 16th. UnitedHealth Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 37.02%.

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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