Tocqueville Asset Management L.P. Acquires 108,309 Shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH

Key Points

• Tocqueville Asset Management L.P. increased its position in UnitedHealth Group by 453.4%, acquiring an additional 108,309 shares, bringing its total to 132,198 shares valued at approximately $69.24 million.
• Analysts have set a consensus price target of $366.52 for UnitedHealth Group, with ratings ranging from sell to buy, reflecting a mixed outlook on the stock.
• UnitedHealth Group announced a quarterly dividend of $2.21, yielding 2.9%, indicating a continued commitment to returning value to shareholders.

Tocqueville Asset Management L.P. grew its position in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 453.4% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 132,198 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after purchasing an additional 108,309 shares during the period. UnitedHealth Group makes up approximately 1.1% of Tocqueville Asset Management L.P.'s holdings, making the stock its 15th biggest position. Tocqueville Asset Management L.P.'s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $69,238,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in UNH. Financial Management Professionals Inc. boosted its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 0.8% in the 1st quarter. Financial Management Professionals Inc. now owns 2,224 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $1,165,000 after purchasing an additional 17 shares during the period. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates increased its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 28.6% during the 1st quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates now owns 90 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Kolinsky Wealth Management LLC increased its position in UnitedHealth Group by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Kolinsky Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,135 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $1,080,000 after acquiring an additional 21 shares in the last quarter. Retirement Planning Group LLC increased its position in UnitedHealth Group by 5.1% in the 1st quarter. Retirement Planning Group LLC now owns 430 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $225,000 after acquiring an additional 21 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Net Worth Advisory Group boosted its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 0.6% in the 1st quarter. Net Worth Advisory Group now owns 3,642 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $1,907,000 after purchasing an additional 21 shares during the last quarter. 87.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently weighed in on UNH shares. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $355.00 to $286.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Robert W. Baird restated an "underperform" rating and set a $198.00 target price (down from $312.00) on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Thursday, July 31st. Baird R W downgraded shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Thursday, July 31st. Barclays reaffirmed an "overweight" rating on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Thursday, July 17th. Finally, Mizuho lowered their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $515.00 to $350.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, UnitedHealth Group currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $366.52.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Up 12.0%

NYSE UNH traded up $32.53 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $304.02. The company's stock had a trading volume of 67,934,484 shares, compared to its average volume of 21,947,932. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $288.91 and its 200 day simple moving average is $395.81. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a twelve month low of $234.60 and a twelve month high of $630.73. The firm has a market capitalization of $275.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.17, a PEG ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 0.43.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $4.08 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $111.75 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $6.80 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 12.9% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 earnings per share for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 23rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 15th will be issued a dividend of $2.21 per share. This represents a $8.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 15th. UnitedHealth Group's payout ratio is presently 38.30%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Patrick Hugh Conway sold 589 shares of the business'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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 10,398 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,171,390. The trade was a 5.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.28% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.