Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC Lowers Stock Position in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)

Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC trimmed its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 0.5% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 32,230 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after selling 164 shares during the quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $16,880,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Norges Bank bought a new stake in UnitedHealth Group during the fourth quarter worth approximately $6,375,744,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 56,142.1% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 8,295,153 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $4,344,586,000 after buying an additional 8,280,404 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 36.6% in the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 8,592,718 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $4,346,712,000 after acquiring an additional 2,301,010 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp increased its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 12.5% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 9,503,671 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $4,807,527,000 after acquiring an additional 1,058,488 shares during the period. Finally, Capital International Investors grew its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 6.2% in the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 15,616,007 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $7,899,905,000 after purchasing an additional 906,365 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.86% of the company’s stock.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Down 2.0%

UNH traded down $5.62 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $282.45. 14,902,160 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 7,804,386. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $304.47 and its 200-day simple moving average is $433.39. The company has a market cap of $256.22 billion, a PE ratio of 11.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.85. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a one year low of $248.88 and a one year high of $630.73.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 17th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $7.20 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.29 by ($0.09). The firm had revenue of $109.58 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $111.56 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 5.39% and a return on equity of 26.29%. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $6.91 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 24th. Investors of record on Monday, June 16th were paid a $2.21 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 16th. This represents a $8.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.13%. This is an increase from UnitedHealth Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.10. UnitedHealth Group’s payout ratio is currently 37.02%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other UnitedHealth Group news, Director Kristen Gil bought 3,700 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 15th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $271.17 per share, with a total value of $1,003,329.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 3,818 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,035,327.06. This trade represents a 3,135.59% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Timothy Patrick Flynn purchased 1,533 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 14th. The stock was bought at an average price of $320.80 per share, for a total transaction of $491,786.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 6,033 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,935,386.40. The trade was a 34.07% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have acquired 109,408 shares of company stock worth $31,607,768. 0.28% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $405.00 to $418.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, June 20th. KeyCorp dropped their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $450.00 to $400.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, June 2nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $521.00 to $362.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. Truist Financial reduced their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $360.00 to $345.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Finally, TD Cowen lowered shares of UnitedHealth Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $308.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Monday, May 19th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, UnitedHealth Group presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $394.43.

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.