QV Investors Inc. Sells 2,860 Shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)

QV Investors Inc. cut its stake in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 8.6% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 30,444 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after selling 2,860 shares during the period. UnitedHealth Group accounts for 1.6% of QV Investors Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 20th largest position. QV Investors Inc.'s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $15,945,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the fourth quarter worth about $6,375,744,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position 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 acquiring an additional 8,280,404 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the fourth quarter worth about $1,914,740,000. Amundi raised its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 97.2% during the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 6,069,100 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $3,183,132,000 after buying an additional 2,991,470 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its stake 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 valued at $4,346,712,000 after acquiring an additional 2,301,010 shares during the period. 87.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently commented on UNH. Oppenheimer dropped their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $600.00 to $400.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. HSBC reissued a "reduce" rating and set a $270.00 target price (down previously from $490.00) on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. TD Securities reissued a "hold" rating and set a $308.00 target price (down previously from $520.00) on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Monday, May 19th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $563.00 to $374.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $525.00 to $405.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 15th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and seventeen have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $428.43.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of UnitedHealth Group stock traded down $0.30 on Thursday, hitting $300.08. 4,697,841 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,902,745. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $418.00 and a 200 day moving average price of $488.12. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 12-month low of $248.88 and a 12-month high of $630.73. The company has a market cap of $272.21 billion, a PE ratio of 19.36, a PEG ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 0.56.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last posted 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 company had revenue of $109.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $111.56 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 3.60% and a return on equity of 26.69%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $6.91 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other UnitedHealth Group news, Director John H. Noseworthy acquired 300 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 14th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $312.16 per share, for a total transaction of $93,648.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 6,063 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,892,626.08. This trade represents a 5.21% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO John F. Rex bought 17,175 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 16th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $291.12 per share, with a total value of $4,999,986.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 203,796 shares in the company, valued at approximately $59,329,091.52. The trade was a 9.20% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders acquired 109,408 shares of company stock worth $31,607,768. Corporate insiders own 0.33% of the company's stock.

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.