UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) Position Increased by Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank

Key Points

• Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank increased its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 4.5%, acquiring an additional 26,943 shares, bringing its total holdings to 624,137 shares.
• UnitedHealth Group has announced a quarterly dividend of $2.21 per share, which is an increase from the previous dividend of $2.10, representing a 3.15% yield.
• Major institutional investors have also boosted their holdings in UnitedHealth Group, including UBS AM, which increased its stake by 36.6% in the last quarter.

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank lifted its stake in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 4.5% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 624,137 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after acquiring an additional 26,943 shares during the quarter. UnitedHealth Group accounts for 0.9% of Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank's investment portfolio, making the stock its 15th largest position. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank owned 0.07% of UnitedHealth Group worth $326,892,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Hurley Capital LLC purchased a new position in UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd purchased a new position in UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda purchased a new position in UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $41,000. Finally, Copia Wealth Management purchased a new position in UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $42,000. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $405.00 to $418.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, June 20th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $521.00 to $362.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Argus downgraded shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, April 21st. Erste Group Bank downgraded shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Finally, KeyCorp lowered their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $400.00 to $350.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $378.95.

UnitedHealth Group Trading Up 0.3%

UNH stock traded up $0.78 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $261.85. 13,979,338 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 11,615,670. The company has a market capitalization of $237.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.96, a PEG ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.85. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $248.88 and a fifty-two week high of $630.73. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $299.69 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $421.43.

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 for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $5.16 by ($1.08). UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 5.39% and a return on equity of 26.29%. The business had revenue of $111.62 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $111.75 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $6.80 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 12.9% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 24th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 16th were given a dividend of $2.21 per share. This is a boost 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 3.38%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 16th. UnitedHealth Group's payout ratio is presently 37.02%.

Insider Buying and Selling at UnitedHealth Group

In related news, Director Kristen Gil purchased 3,700 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 15th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $271.17 per share, with a total value of $1,003,329.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 3,818 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,035,327.06. The trade was a 3,135.59% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Stephen J. Hemsley purchased 86,700 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 16th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $288.57 per share, for a total transaction of $25,019,019.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer directly owned 679,493 shares of the company's stock, valued at $196,081,295.01. This represents a 14.63% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders acquired 109,408 shares of company stock valued at $31,607,768. 0.28% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.