Stratos Investment Management LLC Grows Position in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)

Stratos Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 23.8% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 20,116 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after purchasing an additional 3,861 shares during the period. Stratos Investment Management LLC's holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $10,536,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 19,956,219 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $10,068,869,000 after purchasing an additional 319,515 shares in the last quarter. Capital International Investors boosted its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 6.2% during the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 15,616,007 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $7,899,905,000 after buying an additional 906,365 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $6,375,744,000. Northern Trust Corp raised 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. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. increased its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 10.7% in the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 8,923,770 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $4,514,178,000 after buying an additional 861,854 shares during the last quarter. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Up 1.2%

UnitedHealth Group stock traded up $3.79 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $307.50. The company had a trading volume of 9,600,755 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,574,038. The company has a market capitalization of $278.95 billion, a PE ratio of 12.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 12 month low of $248.88 and a 12 month high of $630.73. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $322.66 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $445.65.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly 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 net margin of 5.39% and a return on equity of 26.29%. The firm had revenue of $109.58 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $111.56 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $6.91 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 24th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 16th were given a $2.21 dividend. This is a positive change from UnitedHealth Group's previous quarterly dividend of $2.10. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 16th. This represents a $8.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.87%. UnitedHealth Group's payout ratio is 37.02%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Robert W. Baird downgraded UnitedHealth Group from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $312.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Wednesday, June 11th. Piper Sandler cut their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $552.00 to $353.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, June 3rd. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $525.00 to $355.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 16th. Erste Group Bank lowered UnitedHealth Group from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Finally, Raymond James Financial downgraded shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "strong-buy" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, UnitedHealth Group currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $415.57.

Insider Transactions at UnitedHealth Group

In related news, CFO John F. Rex bought 17,175 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 16th. The shares were bought 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 of the company's stock, valued at $59,329,091.52. This trade represents a 9.20% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Patrick Hugh Conway sold 589 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $305.00, for a total value of $179,645.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 10,398 shares in the company, valued at $3,171,390. The trade was a 5.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders purchased 109,408 shares of company stock valued at $31,607,768. Company insiders own 0.28% of the company's stock.

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.