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

Westwood Holdings Group Inc. boosted its holdings in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 9.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 291,614 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after purchasing an additional 25,637 shares during the quarter. UnitedHealth Group comprises 1.1% of Westwood Holdings Group Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th largest holding. Westwood Holdings Group Inc.'s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $147,516,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. NewSquare Capital LLC acquired a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Hurley Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd acquired a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Finally, AlphaMark Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter worth $30,000. 87.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on UNH. Truist Financial lowered their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $660.00 to $580.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Mizuho decreased their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $515.00 to $350.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $521.00 to $362.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Argus lowered shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $525.00 to $355.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, UnitedHealth Group currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $486.00.

UnitedHealth Group Price Performance

UNH opened at $291.24 on Monday. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $470.82 and its 200 day simple moving average is $513.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 0.83. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 1 year low of $248.88 and a 1 year high of $630.73. The stock has a market capitalization of $264.20 billion, a PE ratio of 18.79, a P/E/G ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 0.56.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 17th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $7.20 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $7.29 by ($0.09). UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 3.60% and a return on equity of 26.69%. The business had revenue of $109.58 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $111.56 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $6.91 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 EPS for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 18th. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th were issued a $2.10 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 10th. This represents a $8.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.88%. UnitedHealth Group's payout ratio is 35.18%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Stephen J. Hemsley acquired 86,700 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 16th. The shares were bought at an average price of $288.57 per share, for a total transaction of $25,019,019.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer now directly owns 679,493 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $196,081,295.01. This trade represents a 14.63% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Timothy Patrick Flynn purchased 1,533 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 14th. The stock was bought at an average price of $320.80 per share, with a total value of $491,786.40. Following the purchase, the director now owns 6,033 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,935,386.40. The trade was a 34.07% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have bought 109,408 shares of company stock worth $31,607,768 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.33% of the company's stock.

UnitedHealth Group 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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