UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) Shares Sold by Retirement Systems of Alabama

Retirement Systems of Alabama lowered its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 0.9% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 306,721 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after selling 2,734 shares during the period. UnitedHealth Group makes up approximately 0.6% of Retirement Systems of Alabama's portfolio, making the stock its 27th largest position. Retirement Systems of Alabama's holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $160,645,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH raised its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 0.3% in the 1st quarter. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH now owns 530,103 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $277,641,000 after buying an additional 1,465 shares during the period. Sherbrooke Park Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the fourth quarter worth about $515,000. Full Sail Capital LLC grew its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 2.1% in the fourth quarter. Full Sail Capital LLC now owns 1,612 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $815,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. Soros Fund Management LLC acquired a new stake in UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $39,413,000. Finally, Silvercrest Asset Management Group LLC grew its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 47.8% in the fourth quarter. Silvercrest Asset Management Group LLC now owns 38,796 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $19,625,000 after acquiring an additional 12,550 shares in the last quarter. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at UnitedHealth Group

In other UnitedHealth Group news, CEO Stephen J. Hemsley purchased 86,700 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 16th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $288.57 per share, for a total transaction of $25,019,019.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer now directly owns 679,493 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $196,081,295.01. This represents a 14.63% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Timothy Patrick Flynn bought 1,533 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 14th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $320.80 per share, for a total transaction of $491,786.40. Following the purchase, the director now owns 6,033 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,935,386.40. This trade represents a 34.07% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders acquired a total of 109,408 shares of company stock worth $31,607,768 in the last 90 days. 0.28% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

UNH has been the subject of several recent research reports. Robert W. Baird cut UnitedHealth Group from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $312.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Wednesday, June 11th. Baird R W downgraded shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 11th. TD Securities reaffirmed a "hold" rating and set a $308.00 price objective (down from $520.00) on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Monday, May 19th. HSBC restated a "reduce" rating and issued a $270.00 price target (down from $490.00) on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. Finally, Raymond James Financial downgraded UnitedHealth Group from a "strong-buy" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, UnitedHealth Group presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $426.52.

UnitedHealth Group Price Performance

UNH opened at $306.90 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $278.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.85, a PEG ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 0.44. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 12-month low of $248.88 and a 12-month high of $630.73. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $365.09 and a 200-day moving average of $465.88.

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

UnitedHealth Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 24th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 16th will be paid a $2.21 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 16th. This is a positive change from UnitedHealth Group's previous quarterly dividend of $2.10. This represents a $8.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.88%. UnitedHealth Group's payout ratio is presently 37.02%.

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.

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