UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) Shares Bought by Nuveen Asset Management LLC

Nuveen Asset Management LLC grew its position in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 2.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 7,126,845 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after acquiring an additional 139,844 shares during the quarter. UnitedHealth Group comprises approximately 1.0% of Nuveen Asset Management LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 13th biggest position. Nuveen Asset Management LLC owned approximately 0.77% of UnitedHealth Group worth $3,605,186,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 1.6% during 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 acquiring an additional 319,515 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Investors increased its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 6.2% in the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 15,616,007 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $7,899,905,000 after buying an additional 906,365 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $6,375,744,000. Northern Trust Corp raised its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 12.5% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 9,503,671 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $4,807,527,000 after purchasing an additional 1,058,488 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 10.7% in the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 8,923,770 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $4,514,178,000 after purchasing an additional 861,854 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.86% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at UnitedHealth Group

In other UnitedHealth Group news, Director Kristen Gil bought 3,700 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 15th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $271.17 per share, for a total transaction of $1,003,329.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 3,818 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,035,327.06. This trade represents a 3,135.59% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Timothy Patrick Flynn purchased 1,533 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 14th. The stock was acquired 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 directly owns 6,033 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,935,386.40. This trade represents a 34.07% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders bought 5,533 shares of company stock worth $1,588,763. 0.33% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

UnitedHealth Group Trading Up 6.2%

UNH stock traded up $16.89 during trading on Friday, reaching $291.24. 70,463,502 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,853,837. The firm 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 Incorporated has a 52-week low of $248.88 and a 52-week high of $630.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 0.83 and a quick ratio of 0.91. The business's 50 day moving average price is $474.72 and its 200-day moving average price is $515.82.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 17th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $7.20 EPS 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 company had revenue of $109.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently weighed in on UNH shares. Raymond James downgraded UnitedHealth Group from a "strong-buy" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered 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 report on Thursday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $521.00 to $362.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Argus cut UnitedHealth Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $677.00 to $351.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Six 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.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $486.00.

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.