UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH Shares Sold by Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P.

Key Points

• Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. reduced its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 4% in the first quarter, now owning 55,986 shares worth approximately $29.3 million, making it the 27th largest position in their portfolio.
• A variety of analysts have adjusted their price targets for UnitedHealth Group, with significant reductions by firms like Deutsche Bank and Oppenheimer, while the stock currently holds a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $366.52.
• UnitedHealth Group recently announced a quarterly dividend of $2.21 per share, indicating an annual yield of 2.9% with a payout ratio of 38.3% from its earnings.

Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. trimmed its position in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 4.0% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 55,986 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after selling 2,341 shares during the period. UnitedHealth Group makes up approximately 0.8% of Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P.'s holdings, making the stock its 27th biggest holding. Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P.'s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $29,323,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in UNH. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 6.6% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 90,729,585 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $47,519,620,000 after purchasing an additional 5,583,343 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp raised its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 12.5% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 9,503,671 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $4,807,527,000 after purchasing an additional 1,058,488 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 36.6% during the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 8,592,718 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $4,346,712,000 after purchasing an additional 2,301,010 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 56,142.1% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 8,295,153 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $4,344,586,000 after purchasing an additional 8,280,404 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 2.5% during the first quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 8,128,174 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $4,257,131,000 after purchasing an additional 196,696 shares during the last quarter. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have weighed in on UNH. Baird R W cut shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Thursday, July 31st. TD Cowen cut shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $308.00 price objective for the company. in a report on Monday, May 19th. HSBC reaffirmed a "reduce" rating and issued a $270.00 price objective (down previously from $490.00) on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $418.00 to $310.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, August 6th. Finally, Robert W. Baird reissued an "underperform" rating and set a $198.00 target price (down previously from $312.00) on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $365.38.

Insider Transactions at UnitedHealth Group

In other UnitedHealth Group news, CEO Patrick Hugh Conway sold 589 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $305.00, for a total transaction of $179,645.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 10,398 shares in the company, valued at $3,171,390. This represents a 5.36% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.28% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

UnitedHealth Group Trading Up 1.6%

Shares of UNH stock traded up $4.7510 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $304.5910. The company had a trading volume of 8,254,555 shares, compared to its average volume of 12,823,508. The company's fifty day moving average is $288.81 and its 200 day moving average is $392.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.85. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $234.60 and a fifty-two week high of $630.73. The stock has a market capitalization of $275.86 billion, a PE ratio of 13.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 0.43.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last issued 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). UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 23.32% and a net margin of 5.04%.The company had revenue of $111.62 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $111.75 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $6.80 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 12.9% compared to the same quarter last year. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2025 guidance at 16.000- EPS. Research analysts expect that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The firm 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. The ex-dividend date 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 38.30%.

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.