UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) Shares Sold by Westwood Holdings Group Inc.

Key Points

• Westwood Holdings Group Inc. has reduced its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 3.9%, now owning 280,364 shares valued at approximately $146.8 million, making it the fund's 13th largest position.
• Analysts have downgraded UnitedHealth Group’s stock ratings, with 17 analysts issuing a mixed consensus of "hold", "buy", and "sell", and a target price ranging from $286 to $371.67.
• UnitedHealth Group recently increased its quarterly dividend to $2.21, resulting in an annual yield of 3.7% as the company's payout ratio stands at 38.30%.

Westwood Holdings Group Inc. decreased its position in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 3.9% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 280,364 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after selling 11,250 shares during the quarter. UnitedHealth Group comprises about 1.1% of Westwood Holdings Group Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 13th largest position. Westwood Holdings Group Inc.'s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $146,841,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Bayforest Capital Ltd boosted its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 685.7% in the 1st quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd now owns 55 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd purchased a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda purchased a new stake in UnitedHealth Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Finally, Copia Wealth Management purchased a new position in UnitedHealth Group during the fourth quarter worth approximately $42,000. 87.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. Argus downgraded UnitedHealth Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, April 21st. TD Cowen downgraded UnitedHealth Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $308.00 price objective on the stock. in a report on Monday, May 19th. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $355.00 to $286.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Erste Group Bank downgraded shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Finally, TD Securities restated 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. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $371.67.

Insider Transactions at UnitedHealth Group

In other news, CEO Patrick Hugh Conway sold 589 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $305.00, for a total value of $179,645.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 10,398 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,171,390. This represents a 5.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Timothy Patrick Flynn acquired 1,533 shares of UnitedHealth Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 14th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $320.80 per share, with a total value of $491,786.40. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 6,033 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $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 109,408 shares of company stock worth $31,607,768 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.28% of the company's stock.

UnitedHealth Group Trading Up 1.3%

UnitedHealth Group stock opened at $240.94 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 0.85. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 1 year low of $234.60 and a 1 year high of $630.73. The firm's 50-day moving average is $295.77 and its 200-day moving average is $412.81. The company has a market cap of $218.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.44, a PEG ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 0.43.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $4.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.45 by ($0.37). The company had revenue of $111.62 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $111.75 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 23.32% and a net margin of 5.04%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 12.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $6.80 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect 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 was paid on Tuesday, June 24th. Investors of record on Monday, June 16th were given a $2.21 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 16th. This represents a $8.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.7%. This is an increase from UnitedHealth Group's previous quarterly dividend of $2.10. UnitedHealth Group's payout ratio is 38.30%.

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.

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