Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. Increases Stock Holdings in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)

Key Points

• Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. increased its stock holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 67.0%, owning 12,161 shares worth approximately $6.37 million after acquiring an additional 4,877 shares in the first quarter.
• Other large investors such as Brighton Jones LLC and Revolve Wealth Partners LLC also significantly increased their positions in UnitedHealth Group during the fourth quarter, demonstrating strong institutional interest in the stock.
• UnitedHealth Group recently reported earnings of $4.08 EPS for the last quarter, missing analyst expectations, and announced a quarterly dividend of $2.21 per share, with a yield of 3.3%.

Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. raised its holdings in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 67.0% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 12,161 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after buying an additional 4,877 shares during the quarter. Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc.'s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $6,369,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of UNH. Brighton Jones LLC grew its position in UnitedHealth Group by 176.2% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 44,249 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $22,384,000 after acquiring an additional 28,231 shares during the period. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 137.1% during the 4th quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 4,019 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $2,033,000 after purchasing an additional 2,324 shares during the period. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG increased its position in UnitedHealth Group by 3.9% during the 4th quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG now owns 263,655 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $133,373,000 after purchasing an additional 9,872 shares in the last quarter. Jump Financial LLC acquired a new position in UnitedHealth Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,321,000. Finally, MSH Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the fourth quarter worth $476,000. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other UnitedHealth Group 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 value of $179,645.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 10,398 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,171,390. This trade represents a 5.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.28% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

UnitedHealth Group Trading Down 0.0%

UnitedHealth Group stock opened at $271.79 on Friday. 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 $288.90 and its 200-day moving average is $399.47. The company has a market cap of $246.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.78, a PEG ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 0.43.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $4.08 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.45 by ($0.37). UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 5.04% and a return on equity of 23.32%. The company had revenue of $111.62 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $111.75 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $6.80 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 12.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts expect that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 earnings per share for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 23rd. Investors of record on Monday, September 15th will be given a $2.21 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 15th. This represents a $8.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.3%. UnitedHealth Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 38.30%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. Baird R W downgraded UnitedHealth Group from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Thursday, July 31st. Truist Financial dropped their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $360.00 to $345.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 16th. Argus downgraded shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Raymond James Financial downgraded shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "strong-buy" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. Finally, TD Securities reaffirmed a "hold" rating and set a $308.00 price target (down previously from $520.00) on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Monday, May 19th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $366.52.

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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