Toronto Dominion Bank Raises Stock Position in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)

Toronto Dominion Bank increased its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 64.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 982,794 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after acquiring an additional 386,221 shares during the quarter. UnitedHealth Group comprises 0.8% of Toronto Dominion Bank's investment portfolio, making the stock its 24th biggest position. Toronto Dominion Bank owned about 0.11% of UnitedHealth Group worth $497,150,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 19,956,219 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $10,068,869,000 after purchasing an additional 319,515 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Investors lifted its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 6.2% in the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 15,616,007 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $7,899,905,000 after acquiring an additional 906,365 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $6,375,744,000. Northern Trust Corp lifted its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 12.5% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 9,503,671 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $4,807,527,000 after acquiring an additional 1,058,488 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 10.7% in the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 8,923,770 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $4,514,178,000 after acquiring an additional 861,854 shares during the last quarter. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at UnitedHealth Group

In related news, Director Timothy Patrick Flynn bought 1,533 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 14th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $320.80 per share, with a total value of $491,786.40. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 6,033 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,935,386.40. This represents a 34.07% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Stephen J. Hemsley bought 86,700 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 16th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $288.57 per share, with a total value of $25,019,019.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer now owns 679,493 shares of the company's stock, valued at $196,081,295.01. This represents a 14.63% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders bought 109,408 shares of company stock worth $31,607,768. Company insiders own 0.33% of the company's stock.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Performance

UnitedHealth Group stock traded up $23.89 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $315.80. 61,941,514 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,102,407. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 12-month low of $248.88 and a 12-month high of $630.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 0.83. The stock has a market cap of $286.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 0.56. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $470.82 and its 200 day simple moving average is $513.25.

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

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 18th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th were paid a $2.10 dividend. This represents a $8.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.66%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 10th. UnitedHealth Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 35.18%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. HSBC restated a "hold" rating and issued a $490.00 price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $525.00 to $405.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Mizuho cut their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $515.00 to $350.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. TD Securities reaffirmed a "hold" rating and set a $308.00 target price (down from $520.00) on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Monday. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada cut their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $525.00 to $355.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, UnitedHealth Group currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $454.23.

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.