Motley Fool Asset Management LLC Raises Stake in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)

Motley Fool Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 2.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 42,546 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after acquiring an additional 940 shares during the quarter. UnitedHealth Group accounts for about 1.1% of Motley Fool Asset Management LLC's holdings, making the stock its 20th biggest holding. Motley Fool Asset Management LLC's holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $21,522,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. NewSquare Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. AlphaMark Advisors LLC bought a new stake in UnitedHealth Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Promus Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the fourth quarter worth approximately $32,000. Pillar Financial Advisors LLC bought a new stake in UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter valued at $40,000. Finally, DecisionPoint Financial LLC grew its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 155.0% in the 4th quarter. DecisionPoint Financial LLC now owns 102 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $52,000 after acquiring an additional 62 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.86% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at UnitedHealth Group

In other UnitedHealth Group news, Director Timothy Patrick Flynn acquired 1,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 17th. The shares were bought at an average price of $511.57 per share, with a total value of $511,570.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 4,500 shares in the company, valued at $2,302,065. This represents a 28.57 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.33% of the company's stock.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Down 2.9 %

Shares of NYSE UNH traded down $15.50 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $524.94. The stock had a trading volume of 9,914,705 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,256,040. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 52 week low of $436.38 and a 52 week high of $630.73. The company has a market cap of $480.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.87, a PEG ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 0.61. The business's 50 day moving average is $509.24 and its 200-day moving average is $542.12. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 16th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.81 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $6.74 by $0.07. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 26.69% and a net margin of 3.60%. The business had revenue of $100.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $101.60 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $5.83 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 EPS for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 18th. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th were issued a $2.10 dividend. This represents a $8.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.60%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 10th. UnitedHealth Group's dividend payout ratio is currently 54.19%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently issued reports on UNH shares. Truist Financial cut their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $625.00 to $610.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Barclays reduced their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $655.00 to $642.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Piper Sandler cut their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $605.00 to $600.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. HSBC raised shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $595.00 target price for the company in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Twenty investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $629.32.

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.