Deutsche Bank AG Buys 103,160 Shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)

Key Points

• Deutsche Bank AG has increased its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 2.0%, purchasing an additional 103,160 shares, bringing their total to 5,386,274 shares, which represents 1.1% of its portfolio.
• UnitedHealth Group recently reported earnings per share (EPS) of $4.08 for the last quarter, which missed analysts' expectations by $0.37, despite a revenue increase of 12.9% year-over-year.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend increase to $2.21 per share, representing a yield of 3.6% and a dividend payout ratio of 38.30%.

Deutsche Bank AG increased its holdings in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 2.0% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 5,386,274 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after purchasing an additional 103,160 shares during the quarter. UnitedHealth Group accounts for 1.1% of Deutsche Bank AG's holdings, making the stock its 10th biggest position. Deutsche Bank AG owned about 0.59% of UnitedHealth Group worth $2,821,061,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Bayforest Capital Ltd lifted its position in UnitedHealth Group by 685.7% in 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 in the last quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd purchased a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. IAG Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the first quarter worth $42,000. Finally, Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda acquired a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the 4th quarter worth about $41,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.86% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO John F. Rex purchased 17,175 shares of UnitedHealth Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 16th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $291.12 per share, with a total value of $4,999,986.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 203,796 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $59,329,091.52. This trade represents a 9.20% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Kristen Gil purchased 3,700 shares of the company's 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 completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 3,818 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,035,327.06. This represents a 3,135.59% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have acquired 109,408 shares of company stock valued at $31,607,768. 0.28% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently commented on UNH shares. TD Cowen downgraded UnitedHealth Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $308.00 price objective on the stock. in a report on Monday, May 19th. Oppenheimer decreased their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $400.00 to $325.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Argus cut UnitedHealth Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, April 21st. UBS Group restated a "buy" rating on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Thursday, July 17th. Finally, KeyCorp dropped their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $400.00 to $350.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $366.52.

UnitedHealth Group Price Performance

Shares of UnitedHealth Group stock traded down $1.37 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $244.42. 11,331,473 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 18,403,832. 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 has a 50 day simple moving average of $292.78 and a 200-day simple moving average of $408.71. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 52 week low of $234.60 and a 52 week high of $630.73. The firm has a market cap of $221.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.59, a PEG ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.43.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last announced 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). The firm had revenue of $111.62 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $111.75 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 23.32% and a net margin of 5.04%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 12.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $6.80 EPS. Research analysts forecast that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 earnings per share for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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. This is an increase from UnitedHealth Group's previous quarterly dividend of $2.10. This represents a $8.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.6%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 16th. UnitedHealth Group's dividend payout ratio is presently 38.30%.

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.