Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund Boosts Holdings in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)

Key Points

• Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund increased its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 11.4%, making it the 10th largest position in its portfolio, now holding 232,618 shares valued at approximately $121.8 million.
• CEO Stephen J. Hemsley and CFO John F. Rex both acquired significant shares of UnitedHealth Group, with Hemsley increasing his holdings by 14.63% and Rex by 9.20% during transactions on May 16th.
• UnitedHealth Group's recent earnings report showed earnings per share of $4.08, below analysts' expectations of $4.45, despite a year-over-year revenue increase of 12.9% to $111.62 billion.

Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund raised its holdings in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 11.4% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 232,618 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after purchasing an additional 23,800 shares during the period. UnitedHealth Group accounts for about 1.5% of Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund's holdings, making the stock its 10th biggest position. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund's holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $121,834,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of UNH. Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Bayforest Capital Ltd lifted its position in UnitedHealth Group by 685.7% during the first quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd now owns 55 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd lifted its position in UnitedHealth Group by 416.7% during the first quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd now owns 62 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda bought a new stake in UnitedHealth Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Finally, Copia Wealth Management bought a new stake in UnitedHealth Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $42,000. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Robert W. Baird reiterated an "underperform" rating and set a $198.00 target price (down from $312.00) on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. Barclays reissued an "overweight" rating on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Thursday, July 17th. TD Securities reissued a "hold" rating and set a $308.00 price target (down from $520.00) on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Monday, May 19th. Bank of America decreased their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $350.00 to $300.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 29th. Finally, UBS Group reissued a "buy" rating on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Thursday, July 17th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $366.52.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Stephen J. Hemsley purchased 86,700 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 16th. The shares were bought at an average price of $288.57 per share, for a total transaction of $25,019,019.00. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer directly owned 679,493 shares in the company, valued at approximately $196,081,295.01. This trade represents a 14.63% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Patrick Hugh Conway sold 589 shares of the company'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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 10,398 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,171,390. The trade was a 5.36% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.28% of the company's stock.

UnitedHealth Group Trading Down 0.0%

UnitedHealth Group stock traded down $0.02 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $271.79. 22,346,613 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 18,776,074. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.85. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $288.90 and its 200 day moving average price is $399.47. The firm has a market capitalization of $246.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.78, a P/E/G ratio of 1.75 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.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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). The company had revenue of $111.62 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $111.75 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 5.04% and a return on equity of 23.32%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 12.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $6.80 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 23rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 15th will be issued a dividend of $2.21 per share. This represents a $8.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.3%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 15th. UnitedHealth Group's payout ratio is 38.30%.

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.