UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) Shares Purchased by Balentine LLC

Balentine LLC lifted its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 8.8% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 842 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after purchasing an additional 68 shares during the period. Balentine LLC’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $441,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of UNH. Norges Bank acquired a new position in UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter worth $6,375,744,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 56,142.1% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 8,295,153 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $4,344,586,000 after purchasing 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 purchasing an additional 2,301,010 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp increased its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 12.5% in the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Capital International Investors grew its position in UnitedHealth Group by 6.2% during the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 15,616,007 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $7,899,905,000 after purchasing an additional 906,365 shares in the last quarter. 87.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at UnitedHealth Group

In related news, Director Kristen Gil bought 3,700 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 15th. The shares were 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 $1,035,327.06. The trade was a 3,135.59% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Timothy Patrick Flynn acquired 1,533 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 14th. The shares were bought at an average price of $320.80 per share, with a total value of $491,786.40. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 6,033 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,935,386.40. The trade was a 34.07% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders acquired 109,408 shares of company stock worth $31,607,768 over the last 90 days. 0.28% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Bank of America lowered shares of UnitedHealth Group from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their target price for the company from $560.00 to $350.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. Erste Group Bank downgraded UnitedHealth Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Mizuho lowered their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $515.00 to $350.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 16th. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $525.00 to $355.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 16th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Friday, June 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, UnitedHealth Group has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $394.43.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Performance

NYSE:UNH opened at $282.45 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $304.47 and its 200-day moving average is $433.39. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 52-week low of $248.88 and a 52-week high of $630.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 0.85. The company has a market cap of $256.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.83, a PEG ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 0.45.

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

UnitedHealth Group Increases Dividend

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

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.