Stock Yards Bank & Trust Co. Raises Position in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)

Stock Yards Bank & Trust Co. lifted its holdings in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 1.9% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 77,022 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after purchasing an additional 1,425 shares during the quarter. UnitedHealth Group accounts for approximately 1.4% of Stock Yards Bank & Trust Co.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 22nd largest position. Stock Yards Bank & Trust Co.'s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $40,340,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Financial Management Professionals Inc. increased its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 0.8% during the 1st quarter. Financial Management Professionals Inc. now owns 2,224 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $1,165,000 after purchasing an additional 17 shares during the period. Richwood Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Richwood Investment Advisors LLC now owns 5,247 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $2,654,000 after buying an additional 20 shares during the period. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates lifted its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 28.6% during the first quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates now owns 90 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 20 shares during the period. 44 Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. 44 Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,309 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $662,000 after acquiring an additional 21 shares during the period. Finally, Prentice Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in UnitedHealth Group by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Prentice Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,527 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $1,278,000 after purchasing an additional 21 shares in the last quarter. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently commented on the stock. Truist Financial reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $360.00 price objective (down previously from $580.00) on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Monday, May 19th. HSBC reaffirmed a "reduce" rating and set a $270.00 target price (down from $490.00) on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Wednesday, May 21st. Wolfe Research dropped their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $501.00 to $390.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $521.00 to $362.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. Finally, TD Securities reaffirmed a "hold" rating and issued a $308.00 price target (down previously from $520.00) on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Monday, May 19th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, UnitedHealth Group has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $426.52.

UnitedHealth Group Price Performance

Shares of UNH stock traded up $1.48 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $309.14. 10,139,968 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,243,980. The company has a market cap of $280.43 billion, a PE ratio of 19.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 0.44. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 52-week low of $248.88 and a 52-week high of $630.73. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $381.74 and a 200 day moving average of $470.20.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 17th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $7.20 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $7.29 by ($0.09). UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 26.69% and a net margin of 3.60%. The business had revenue of $109.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $111.56 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $6.91 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate 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. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 16th will be paid a dividend of $2.21 per share. This represents a $8.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.86%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 16th. This is a boost from UnitedHealth Group's previous quarterly dividend of $2.10. UnitedHealth Group's payout ratio is 37.02%.

Insider Buying and Selling at UnitedHealth Group

In other news, CEO Stephen J. Hemsley bought 86,700 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 16th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $288.57 per share, for a total transaction of $25,019,019.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer now directly owns 679,493 shares of the company's stock, valued at $196,081,295.01. This trade represents a 14.63% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Timothy Patrick Flynn bought 1,533 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 14th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $320.80 per share, with a total value of $491,786.40. Following the purchase, the director now owns 6,033 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,935,386.40. The trade was a 34.07% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders acquired 109,408 shares of company stock worth $31,607,768. Insiders own 0.28% of the company's stock.

About UnitedHealth Group

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.