Marks Group Wealth Management Inc Decreases Stock Holdings in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)

Marks Group Wealth Management Inc lessened its position in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 38.7% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 19,136 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after selling 12,090 shares during the period. UnitedHealth Group accounts for 1.0% of Marks Group Wealth Management Inc's investment portfolio, making the stock its 17th biggest position. Marks Group Wealth Management Inc's holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $10,023,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in UNH. Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Hurley Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd bought a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda bought a new stake in UnitedHealth Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Finally, Copia Wealth Management bought a new stake in UnitedHealth Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Institutional investors own 87.86% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UNH has been the subject of several recent research reports. KeyCorp cut their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $450.00 to $400.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, June 2nd. UBS Group dropped their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $400.00 to $385.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, June 25th. Erste Group Bank lowered shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Baird R W downgraded shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 11th. Finally, Hsbc Global Res downgraded shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "hold" rating to a "moderate sell" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, UnitedHealth Group has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $415.00.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Down 1.5%

Shares of UNH stock traded down $4.69 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $299.42. 4,535,968 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 7,692,607. The stock has a market cap of $271.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.56, a P/E/G ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 0.45. The stock's fifty day moving average is $314.52 and its two-hundred day moving average is $439.94. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 52-week low of $248.88 and a 52-week high of $630.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.85.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 17th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $7.20 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $7.29 by ($0.09). The firm had revenue of $109.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $111.56 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 5.39% and a return on equity of 26.29%. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $6.91 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 EPS for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 24th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 16th were paid a $2.21 dividend. This represents a $8.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.95%. This is a boost from UnitedHealth Group's previous quarterly dividend of $2.10. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 16th. UnitedHealth Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 37.02%.

Insider Activity at UnitedHealth Group

In other news, CEO Stephen J. Hemsley acquired 86,700 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 16th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $288.57 per share, for a total transaction of $25,019,019.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 679,493 shares in the company, valued at approximately $196,081,295.01. The trade was a 14.63% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO John F. Rex acquired 17,175 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 16th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $291.12 per share, with a total value of $4,999,986.00. Following the acquisition, the chief financial officer owned 203,796 shares in the company, valued at $59,329,091.52. The trade was a 9.20% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders bought a total of 109,408 shares of company stock worth $31,607,768 in the last ninety days. 0.28% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.