UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH Stake Lessened by Erste Asset Management GmbH

Key Points

• Erste Asset Management GmbH reduced its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 4.1%, now holding 246,237 shares valued at approximately $119.62 million, representing 1.5% of its investment portfolio.
• UnitedHealth Group's shares are currently facing a mix of ratings from analysts, with 15 "Buy," 6 "Hold," and 3 "Sell" ratings, and the average price target set at $367.71.
• The company recently announced a quarterly dividend of $2.21 per share, translating to an annualized yield of 2.9%, with a dividend payout ratio of 38.30%.

Erste Asset Management GmbH cut its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 4.1% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 246,237 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after selling 10,646 shares during the period. UnitedHealth Group comprises about 1.5% of Erste Asset Management GmbH's investment portfolio, making the stock its 8th biggest position. Erste Asset Management GmbH's holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $119,618,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in UnitedHealth Group during the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Bayforest Capital Ltd raised its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 685.7% during the first quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd now owns 55 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares during the period. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd raised its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 416.7% during the first quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd now owns 62 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the period. Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda bought a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the fourth quarter worth about $41,000. Finally, Copia Wealth Management bought a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the fourth quarter worth about $42,000. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on UNH shares. Hsbc Global Res cut UnitedHealth Group from a "hold" rating to a "moderate sell" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. Baird R W cut UnitedHealth Group from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. TD Securities reissued a "hold" rating and set a $308.00 price objective (down from $520.00) on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Monday, May 19th. Wall Street Zen cut UnitedHealth Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 24th. Finally, Raymond James Financial cut UnitedHealth Group from a "strong-buy" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $367.71.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Down 1.5%

Shares of NYSE UNH opened at $303.77 on Wednesday. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $275.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.16, a PEG ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 0.43. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $289.03 and a 200 day moving average price of $393.55. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 52-week low of $234.60 and a 52-week high of $630.73.

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 analysts' consensus estimates of $4.45 by ($0.37). The firm had revenue of $111.62 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $111.75 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 5.04% and a return on equity of 23.32%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 12.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $6.80 EPS. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2025 guidance at 16.000- EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 earnings per share for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 23rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 15th will be given a dividend of $2.21 per share. This represents a $8.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 15th. UnitedHealth Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 38.30%.

Insider Activity 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 transaction of $179,645.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 10,398 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,171,390. This represents a 5.36% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.28% of the company's stock.

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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