Stevens Capital Management LP Cuts Stock Position in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH

Stevens Capital Management LP decreased its holdings in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 13.0% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 5,886 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after selling 876 shares during the period. Stevens Capital Management LP’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $1,836,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of UNH. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA bought a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the second quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Bayforest Capital Ltd lifted its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 685.7% in the first quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd now owns 55 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares during the period. Islay Capital Management LLC bought a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the second quarter worth approximately $31,000. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd lifted its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 416.7% during the 1st quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd now owns 62 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Glass Jacobson Investment Advisors llc lifted its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 80.9% during the second quarter. Glass Jacobson Investment Advisors llc now owns 123 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.86% of the company’s stock.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Performance

Shares of UNH stock opened at $319.40 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. The stock has a market capitalization of $289.32 billion, a PE ratio of 16.67, a P/E/G ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.47. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $344.69 and a two-hundred day moving average of $316.94. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 52 week low of $234.60 and a 52 week high of $622.83.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 28th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $2.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.87 by $0.05. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 19.23% and a net margin of 4.04%.The business had revenue of $113.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $113.19 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $7.15 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 12.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 8th will be given a dividend of $2.21 per share. This represents a $8.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 8th. UnitedHealth Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 46.14%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on UNH. Baird R W cut UnitedHealth Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $352.00 to $386.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 9th. Leerink Partners set a $410.00 target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. Mizuho upped their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $300.00 to $430.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 9th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $310.00 to $425.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 9th. Eighteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, UnitedHealth Group has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $397.12.

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.