UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) Shares Sold by Lord Abbett & CO. LLC

Lord Abbett & CO. LLC lessened its stake in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 0.7% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 551,944 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after selling 3,865 shares during the period. UnitedHealth Group accounts for 1.0% of Lord Abbett & CO. LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 14th biggest holding. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC owned about 0.06% of UnitedHealth Group worth $289,081,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of UNH. Financial Management Professionals Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 0.8% in the first quarter. Financial Management Professionals Inc. now owns 2,224 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $1,165,000 after buying an additional 17 shares during the period. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates lifted its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 28.6% in the first 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 lifted its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Kolinsky Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,135 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $1,080,000 after purchasing an additional 21 shares in the last quarter. Retirement Planning Group LLC lifted its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 5.1% in the first quarter. Retirement Planning Group LLC now owns 430 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $225,000 after purchasing an additional 21 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Net Worth Advisory Group lifted its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 0.6% in the first quarter. Net Worth Advisory Group now owns 3,642 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $1,907,000 after purchasing an additional 21 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.86% of the company's stock.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Performance

UnitedHealth Group stock opened at $271.92 on Thursday. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 1 year low of $234.60 and a 1 year high of $630.73. 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 moving average is $289.37 and its two-hundred day moving average is $401.34. The company has a market cap of $246.27 billion, a PE ratio of 11.78, a PEG ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 0.43.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 29th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $4.08 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.45 by ($0.37). The company had revenue of $111.62 billion during 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 quarterly revenue was up 12.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $6.80 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 earnings per share for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.3%. UnitedHealth Group's dividend payout ratio is 38.30%.

Insider Buying and Selling at UnitedHealth Group

In related news, CEO Patrick Hugh Conway sold 589 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 10th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at approximately $3,171,390. This trade represents a 5.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO John F. Rex purchased 17,175 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 16th. The stock was bought at an average price of $291.12 per share, for a total transaction of $4,999,986.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly 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 disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 0.28% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Mizuho reduced their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $515.00 to $350.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Barclays reaffirmed an "overweight" rating on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Thursday, July 17th. TD Securities reaffirmed a "hold" rating and set a $308.00 price objective (down previously from $520.00) on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Monday, May 19th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 24th. Finally, TD Cowen lowered shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $308.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Monday, May 19th. Three research 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 MarketBeat.com, UnitedHealth Group presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $366.52.

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding UNH? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report).

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.