UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) Position Boosted by Boothbay Fund Management LLC

Boothbay Fund Management LLC lifted its stake in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 117.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 9,129 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after buying an additional 4,925 shares during the period. Boothbay Fund Management LLC's holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $4,618,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of UNH. NewSquare Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Hurley Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. AlphaMark Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in UnitedHealth Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd acquired a new stake in UnitedHealth Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Promus Capital LLC acquired a new stake in UnitedHealth Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.86% of the company's stock.

UnitedHealth Group Trading Up 0.6 %

UNH traded up $2.31 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $411.54. The company had a trading volume of 9,174,560 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,544,902. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $499.59 and its 200 day simple moving average is $532.08. The company has a market cap of $374.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.55, a PEG ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 0.61. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 12-month low of $401.28 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 results 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). The company had revenue of $109.58 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $111.56 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 26.69% and a net margin of 3.60%. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $6.91 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 earnings per share for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 18th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th were paid 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 yield of 2.04%. UnitedHealth Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 35.18%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have issued reports on UNH. Raymond James restated a "strong-buy" rating and set a $540.00 price objective (down previously from $635.00) on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Monday, April 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $652.00 to $525.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Oppenheimer reduced their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $640.00 to $600.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 21st. HSBC reissued a "hold" rating and set a $490.00 price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have given a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $596.86.

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.