Hancock Whitney Corp Trims Stock Position in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)

Hancock Whitney Corp trimmed its stake in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 9.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 8,595 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after selling 878 shares during the period. Hancock Whitney Corp's holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $4,348,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. NewSquare Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Hurley Capital LLC bought a new stake in UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd bought a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. AlphaMark Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Promus Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. 87.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Down 1.8 %

UnitedHealth Group stock traded down $7.62 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $412.38. The stock had a trading volume of 3,559,601 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,487,994. 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 Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $412.02 and a fifty-two week high of $630.73. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $501.46 and its 200-day simple moving average is $532.94. The firm has a market capitalization of $375.36 billion, a PE ratio of 26.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 0.61.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results 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 net margin of 3.60% and a return on equity of 26.69%. The company 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 firm earned $6.91 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 18th. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th were paid a $2.10 dividend. This represents a $8.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.04%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 10th. UnitedHealth Group's payout ratio is 35.18%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on UNH. Raymond James reaffirmed a "strong-buy" rating and issued a $540.00 target price (down previously from $635.00) on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Monday, April 21st. HSBC reissued a "hold" rating and set a $490.00 price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. StockNews.com raised shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Robert W. Baird reduced their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $640.00 to $510.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Hsbc Global Res downgraded shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have issued a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $596.86.

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.