UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) is Clearbridge Investments LLC’s 8th Largest Position

Clearbridge Investments LLC lessened its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 7.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 4,333,891 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after selling 366,532 shares during the quarter. UnitedHealth Group accounts for about 1.8% of Clearbridge Investments LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 8th largest holding. Clearbridge Investments LLC owned approximately 0.47% of UnitedHealth Group worth $2,192,342,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. NewSquare Capital LLC purchased a new stake in UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. AlphaMark Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. Promus Capital LLC acquired a new stake in UnitedHealth Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Pillar Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the fourth quarter worth $40,000. Finally, Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in UnitedHealth Group during the 3rd quarter valued at $57,000. 87.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Down 0.0 %

UNH stock opened at $515.47 on Friday. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 52-week low of $436.38 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 stock has a market capitalization of $471.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 0.62. The company has a 50-day moving average of $508.81 and a two-hundred day moving average of $544.24.

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

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 18th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th were issued a $2.10 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 10th. This represents a $8.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.63%. UnitedHealth Group’s payout ratio is presently 54.19%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Timothy Patrick Flynn acquired 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 17th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $511.57 per share, with a total value of $511,570.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 4,500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,302,065. This represents a 28.57 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.33% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently commented on UNH. Stephens increased their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $605.00 to $675.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $595.00 to $625.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. Hsbc Global Res raised shares of UnitedHealth Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 10th. Barclays cut their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $655.00 to $642.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Truist Financial cut their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $625.00 to $610.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Twenty analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $629.32.

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.