Salem Investment Counselors Inc. Sells 2,345 Shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)

Salem Investment Counselors Inc. lowered its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 6.1% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 36,193 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after selling 2,345 shares during the quarter. Salem Investment Counselors Inc.'s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $18,956,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Opinicus Capital Inc. increased its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 10.4% in the 1st quarter. Opinicus Capital Inc. now owns 2,340 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $1,226,000 after buying an additional 221 shares during the period. Argus Investors Counsel Inc. raised its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 211.2% during the 1st quarter. Argus Investors Counsel Inc. now owns 4,382 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $2,295,000 after purchasing an additional 2,974 shares during the last quarter. Everhart Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 5.7% in the 1st quarter. Everhart Financial Group Inc. now owns 4,535 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $2,375,000 after purchasing an additional 243 shares during the last quarter. Bensler LLC lifted its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 0.3% in the first quarter. Bensler LLC now owns 6,945 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $3,637,000 after buying an additional 22 shares during the period. Finally, Smithbridge Asset Management Inc. DE acquired a new stake in UnitedHealth Group during the 1st quarter worth $11,558,000. 87.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on UNH shares. Hsbc Global Res downgraded UnitedHealth Group from a "hold" rating to a "moderate sell" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $525.00 to $355.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 16th. HSBC reiterated a "reduce" rating and issued a $270.00 price target (down from $490.00) on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Wednesday, May 21st. Mizuho lowered their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $515.00 to $350.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $563.00 to $374.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, UnitedHealth Group presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $426.52.

Insider Activity at UnitedHealth Group

In related news, Director Timothy Patrick Flynn bought 1,533 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 14th. The stock was bought at an average price of $320.80 per share, for a total transaction of $491,786.40. Following the purchase, the director now owns 6,033 shares in the company, valued at $1,935,386.40. This represents a 34.07% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director John H. Noseworthy purchased 300 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 14th. The stock was bought 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 in the company, valued at approximately $1,892,626.08. This trade represents a 5.21% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have acquired 109,408 shares of company stock worth $31,607,768. Company insiders own 0.28% of the company's stock.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Down 1.6%

UnitedHealth Group stock traded down $5.11 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $313.39. The company's stock had a trading volume of 13,729,200 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,185,786. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $386.66 and its 200 day simple moving average is $474.19. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 12 month low of $248.88 and a 12 month high of $630.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 0.83. The company has a market capitalization of $284.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 0.45.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results 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 firm had revenue of $109.58 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $111.56 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 3.60% and a return on equity of 26.69%. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $6.91 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 earnings per share for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 24th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 16th will be paid a dividend of $2.21 per share. This is an increase from UnitedHealth Group's previous quarterly dividend of $2.10. This represents a $8.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.82%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 16th. UnitedHealth Group's payout ratio is currently 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.