UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) CEO Stephen J. Hemsley Buys 86,700 Shares

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) CEO Stephen J. Hemsley acquired 86,700 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link.

UnitedHealth Group Price Performance

Shares of UnitedHealth Group stock traded up $16.89 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $291.24. 70,463,502 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,862,879. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $474.72 and its 200-day moving average price is $515.82. The stock has a market cap of $264.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.79, a PEG ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 0.56. 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.

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 for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $7.29 by ($0.09). UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 26.69% and a net margin of 3.60%. The firm had revenue of $109.58 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $111.56 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $6.91 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 earnings per share for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UNH has been the subject of several research reports. StockNews.com upgraded shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $525.00 to $355.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Hsbc Global Res cut shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Erste Group Bank cut shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $521.00 to $362.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $486.00.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On UnitedHealth Group

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Waycross Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. Waycross Partners LLC now owns 27,794 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $14,060,000 after purchasing an additional 658 shares during the last quarter. Full Sail Capital LLC boosted its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. Full Sail Capital LLC now owns 1,612 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $815,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. Lmcg Investments LLC lifted its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 11.8% in the fourth quarter. Lmcg Investments LLC now owns 37,974 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $19,210,000 after buying an additional 4,022 shares during the period. Soros Fund Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $39,413,000. Finally, Seilern Investment Management Ltd acquired a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter valued at $153,015,000. Institutional investors own 87.86% of the company's stock.

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.

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