UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) Shares Sold by Royal London Asset Management Ltd.

Royal London Asset Management Ltd. trimmed its holdings in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 1.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,305,563 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after selling 16,266 shares during the quarter. UnitedHealth Group accounts for 1.6% of Royal London Asset Management Ltd.’s portfolio, making the stock its 9th largest holding. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. owned approximately 0.14% of UnitedHealth Group worth $660,432,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of UNH. First Financial Bankshares Inc boosted its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. First Financial Bankshares Inc now owns 38,193 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $19,320,000 after purchasing an additional 112 shares in the last quarter. Generali Investments Management Co LLC bought a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $2,258,000. Bank of Marin boosted its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 28.3% in the 4th quarter. Bank of Marin now owns 1,069 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $541,000 after purchasing an additional 236 shares during the last quarter. North Forty Two & Co. bought a new stake in UnitedHealth Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $586,000. Finally, VSM Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new position in UnitedHealth Group during the fourth quarter worth about $56,000. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

UnitedHealth Group Price Performance

UnitedHealth Group stock opened at $503.61 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 12 month low of $436.38 and a 12 month high of $630.73. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $510.90 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $548.54. The company has a market capitalization of $460.66 billion, a PE ratio of 32.49, a P/E/G ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 0.62.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 16th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.81 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.74 by $0.07. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 26.69% and a net margin of 3.60%. The firm had revenue of $100.81 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $101.60 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $5.83 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 EPS for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced 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. This represents a $8.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.67%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 10th. UnitedHealth Group’s payout ratio is presently 54.19%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently commented on UNH shares. Oppenheimer raised their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $610.00 to $640.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, December 6th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $595.00 to $625.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $694.00 to $660.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. HSBC upgraded UnitedHealth Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $595.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Finally, Stephens raised their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $605.00 to $675.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Twenty equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $629.32.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Timothy Patrick Flynn acquired 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 17th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $511.57 per share, for a total transaction of $511,570.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 4,500 shares in the company, valued at $2,302,065. This trade represents a 28.57 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 0.33% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.