UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) Shares Bought by Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd.

Key Points

• Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 11.7%, acquiring an additional 319,640 shares, making it the eighth-largest position in its portfolio, worth approximately $1.6 billion.
• UnitedHealth Group missed analysts' EPS estimates for the last quarter, reporting $4.08, while also experiencing a 12.9% increase in revenue year-over-year.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $2.21 per share, up from the previous $2.10, indicating a positive trend in dividend payouts, with a 3.6% yield.

Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 11.7% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,059,712 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after acquiring an additional 319,640 shares during the period. UnitedHealth Group comprises about 1.5% of Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd.'s portfolio, making the stock its 8th biggest position. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. owned about 0.34% of UnitedHealth Group worth $1,602,520,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of UNH. Brighton Jones LLC grew its position in UnitedHealth Group by 176.2% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 44,249 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $22,384,000 after acquiring an additional 28,231 shares during the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC grew its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 137.1% in the 4th quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 4,019 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $2,033,000 after buying an additional 2,324 shares during the last quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG grew its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 3.9% in the 4th quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG now owns 263,655 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $133,373,000 after buying an additional 9,872 shares during the last quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd bought a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Azimuth Capital Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Azimuth Capital Investment Management LLC now owns 53,866 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $27,249,000 after buying an additional 561 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.86% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at UnitedHealth Group

In related news, CFO John F. Rex acquired 17,175 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 16th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $291.12 per share, for a total transaction of $4,999,986.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief financial officer owned 203,796 shares in the company, valued at approximately $59,329,091.52. This represents a 9.20% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Patrick Hugh Conway sold 589 shares of UnitedHealth Group stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have bought 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

Several equities research analysts recently commented on UNH shares. Bank of America cut their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $350.00 to $300.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, July 29th. UBS Group restated a "buy" rating on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Thursday, July 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $418.00 to $310.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. TD Securities reaffirmed 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. Finally, Baird R W downgraded UnitedHealth Group from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $366.52.

UnitedHealth Group Trading Down 2.2%

Shares of UNH stock opened at $245.59 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 0.85. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 52-week low of $234.60 and a 52-week high of $630.73. The company has a market capitalization of $222.78 billion, a PE ratio of 10.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 0.43. The business's fifty day moving average is $293.86 and its 200 day moving average is $410.54.

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). UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 23.32% and a net margin of 5.04%. The business had revenue of $111.62 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $111.75 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $6.80 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 12.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 24th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 16th were given a dividend of $2.21 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 16th. This is a positive change 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%. UnitedHealth Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.