Alberta Investment Management Corp Has $24.24 Million Stake in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)

Key Points

• Alberta Investment Management Corp has significantly increased its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 85.8%, acquiring a total of 46,289 shares valued at approximately $24.24 million.
• UnitedHealth Group reported earnings of $4.08 EPS for the quarter, falling short of analysts' expectations, with revenues of $111.62 billion, slightly below estimates.
• Despite recent analyst ratings adjustments, including a downgrade by Wall Street Zen to a "hold" rating, UnitedHealth Group's stock maintains a general reception of "Hold" with a target price around $373.52.

Alberta Investment Management Corp lifted its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 85.8% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 46,289 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after purchasing an additional 21,374 shares during the period. Alberta Investment Management Corp's holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $24,244,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of UNH. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in UnitedHealth Group by 56,142.1% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 8,295,153 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $4,344,586,000 after buying an additional 8,280,404 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 36.6% in the fourth 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 valued at $4,346,712,000 after purchasing an additional 2,301,010 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp grew its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 12.5% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 9,503,671 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $4,807,527,000 after purchasing an additional 1,058,488 shares in the last quarter. Capital International Investors boosted its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 6.2% during the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 15,616,007 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $7,899,905,000 after acquiring an additional 906,365 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH bought a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter worth about $367,521,000. 87.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at UnitedHealth Group

In related news, 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 sale, the chief executive officer owned 10,398 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,171,390. This represents a 5.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Kristen Gil purchased 3,700 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 15th. The shares were acquired 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,035,327.06. The trade was a 3,135.59% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have purchased a total of 109,408 shares of company stock valued at $31,607,768 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.28% of the company's stock.

UnitedHealth Group Trading Down 4.9%

Shares of UnitedHealth Group stock traded down $12.16 during trading on Friday, reaching $237.40. 39,874,177 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 15,268,949. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $296.86 and a 200-day moving average price of $416.24. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73. The firm has a market capitalization of $215.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.29, a P/E/G ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 0.43. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a twelve month low of $234.60 and a twelve month high of $630.73.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $4.08 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.45 by ($0.37). The business had revenue of $111.62 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $111.75 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 23.32% and a net margin of 5.04%. The business's revenue was up 12.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $6.80 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 24th. Investors of record on Monday, June 16th were issued a dividend of $2.21 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 16th. This is a boost from UnitedHealth Group's previous quarterly dividend of $2.10. This represents a $8.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.7%. UnitedHealth Group's dividend payout ratio is currently 37.02%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently issued reports on UNH shares. HSBC reiterated a "reduce" rating and set a $270.00 price target (down previously from $490.00) on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. Piper Sandler reduced their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $353.00 to $317.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Robert W. Baird reissued an "underperform" rating and issued a $198.00 target price (down from $312.00) on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Thursday. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $355.00 to $286.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Bank of America dropped their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $350.00 to $300.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price 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.