Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co Lowers Holdings in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)

Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co decreased its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 3.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 84,269 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after selling 3,202 shares during the quarter. UnitedHealth Group makes up 0.9% of Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co’s holdings, making the stock its 17th largest holding. Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $42,628,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UNH. NewSquare Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. AlphaMark Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Promus Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the fourth quarter worth $32,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the third quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Finally, Pillar Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in UnitedHealth Group during the fourth quarter worth $40,000. 87.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Up 0.9 %

Shares of NYSE UNH opened at $518.10 on Thursday. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 1 year low of $436.38 and a 1 year 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. The firm has a market cap of $473.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.43, a PEG ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 0.62. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $508.60 and its 200-day simple moving average is $545.37.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 16th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.74 by $0.07. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 3.60% and a return on equity of 26.69%. The firm had revenue of $100.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $101.60 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $5.83 earnings per share. UnitedHealth Group’s revenue was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed 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 yield of 1.62%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 10th. UnitedHealth Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 54.19%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $655.00 to $642.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 17th. Stephens lifted their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $605.00 to $675.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $700.00 target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Hsbc Global Res raised UnitedHealth Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Finally, Oppenheimer lifted their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $610.00 to $640.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, December 6th. Twenty investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $629.32.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Timothy Patrick Flynn purchased 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 17th. The shares were bought at an average price of $511.57 per share, with a total value of $511,570.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 4,500 shares in the company, valued at $2,302,065. This trade represents a 28.57 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.33% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

UnitedHealth Group Company 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.