Rench Wealth Management Inc. Cuts Holdings in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)

Rench Wealth Management Inc. decreased its holdings in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 3.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 10,972 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after selling 423 shares during the quarter. UnitedHealth Group comprises approximately 1.9% of Rench Wealth Management Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest holding. Rench Wealth Management Inc.’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $5,550,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Timothy Patrick Flynn acquired 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 17th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $511.57 per share, with a total value of $511,570.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 4,500 shares in the company, 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 SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

UnitedHealth Group Price Performance

UNH opened at $586.23 on Tuesday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $513.80 and a two-hundred day moving average of $541.83. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 52-week low of $438.50 and a 52-week high of $630.73. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74. The company has a market cap of $536.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.82, a P/E/G ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 0.61.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 16th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.81 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 company had revenue of $100.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $101.60 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $5.83 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 earnings per share for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 18th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th were paid a $2.10 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 10th. This represents a $8.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.43%. UnitedHealth Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 54.19%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UNH has been the topic of several recent research reports. Piper Sandler reduced their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $605.00 to $600.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company dropped 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 raised 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. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $655.00 to $642.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, KeyCorp reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $650.00 price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Twenty-one investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $632.85.

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.