Westwood Holdings Group Inc. Lowers Stock Holdings in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)

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. lessened its holdings in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 3.9% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 280,364 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after selling 11,250 shares during the quarter. UnitedHealth Group comprises 1.1% of Westwood Holdings Group Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 13th largest position. Westwood Holdings Group Inc.'s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $146,841,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in UNH. Capital International Investors increased its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 6.2% in the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 15,616,007 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $7,899,905,000 after purchasing an additional 906,365 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp lifted its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 12.5% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 9,503,671 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $4,807,527,000 after buying an additional 1,058,488 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 36.6% in the 4th 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 acquiring an additional 2,301,010 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in 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 valued at $4,344,586,000 after purchasing an additional 8,280,404 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 2.5% during the 1st quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 8,128,174 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $4,257,131,000 after buying an additional 196,696 shares in the last quarter. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Up 2.5%

UNH stock traded up $6.07 during trading on Friday, reaching $250.74. 10,072,123 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 12,092,224. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 12 month low of $234.60 and a 12 month high of $630.73. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $292.78 and a 200 day simple moving average of $408.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 0.85. The company has a market capitalization of $227.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.43.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $111.75 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 5.04% and a return on equity of 23.32%. The business's revenue was up 12.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $6.80 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 24th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 16th were paid a $2.21 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 16th. This is an increase 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 3.5%. UnitedHealth Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 38.30%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Argus downgraded UnitedHealth Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $521.00 to $362.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Raymond James Financial lowered UnitedHealth Group from a "strong-buy" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Bank of America dropped their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $350.00 to $300.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, July 29th. Finally, Wolfe Research dropped their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $501.00 to $390.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, UnitedHealth Group presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $366.52.

Insider Transactions at UnitedHealth Group

In other news, CEO Patrick Hugh Conway sold 589 shares of the firm's 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 owned 10,398 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,171,390. This trade represents a 5.36% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CFO John F. Rex acquired 17,175 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 16th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $291.12 per share, with a total value of $4,999,986.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief financial officer owned 203,796 shares in the company, valued at $59,329,091.52. This represents a 9.20% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have acquired 109,408 shares of company stock valued at $31,607,768. 0.28% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.