UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) Shares Sold by Freestone Capital Holdings LLC

Key Points

• Freestone Capital Holdings LLC reduced its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 32.5%, owning 23,708 shares worth $12.4 million after selling 11,391 shares in the first quarter.
• UnitedHealth Group recently reported $4.08 earnings per share, missing the consensus estimate by $0.37, with revenue of $111.62 billion, slightly below analyst expectations.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $2.21 per share, representing a 2.9% yield and a payout ratio of 38.30%.

Freestone Capital Holdings LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 32.5% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 23,708 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after selling 11,391 shares during the period. Freestone Capital Holdings LLC's holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $12,417,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of UNH. Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Bayforest Capital Ltd increased its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 685.7% during the 1st quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd now owns 55 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd increased its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 416.7% during the 1st quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd now owns 62 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda purchased a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Finally, Copia Wealth Management purchased a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $42,000. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other UnitedHealth Group news, CEO Patrick Hugh Conway sold 589 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 owned 10,398 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,171,390. This represents a 5.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.28% of the stock is owned by insiders.

UnitedHealth Group Trading Up 12.0%

Shares of UNH stock opened at $304.02 on Friday. The company's 50-day moving average price is $288.91 and its 200-day moving average price is $396.85. 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 stock has a market cap 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 Incorporated has a twelve month low of $234.60 and a twelve month high of $630.73.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $4.08 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 net margin of 5.04% and a return on equity of 23.32%. The company's revenue was up 12.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $6.80 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 earnings per share for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

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 given a $2.21 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 15th. This represents a $8.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.9%. UnitedHealth Group's dividend payout ratio is presently 38.30%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Robert W. Baird reissued an "underperform" rating and issued a $198.00 price target (down previously from $312.00) on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Thursday, July 31st. KeyCorp cut their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $400.00 to $350.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Hsbc Global Res lowered shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "hold" rating to a "moderate sell" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. Erste Group Bank lowered shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Finally, Mizuho cut their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $515.00 to $350.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 16th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $366.52.

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.

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.