UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) Shares Sold by Wealth Alliance

Wealth Alliance reduced its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 1.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,556 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after selling 108 shares during the period. Wealth Alliance’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $2,925,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UNH. Robbins Farley acquired a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the third quarter worth about $25,000. Richelieu Gestion SA acquired a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. CGC Financial Services LLC increased its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 1,000.0% during the fourth quarter. CGC Financial Services LLC now owns 55 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 340.0% during the third quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 66 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. Finally, LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA grew its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 148.1% during the 4th quarter. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA now owns 67 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Up 5.2 %

Shares of NYSE UNH traded up $23.26 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $468.89. The company had a trading volume of 9,241,792 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,370,427. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $491.15 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $515.88. The stock has a market cap of $432.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.66, a PEG ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 0.54. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 52-week low of $436.38 and a 52-week high of $554.70.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 16th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.91 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.54 by $0.37. The firm had revenue of $99.80 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $99.23 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 6.02% and a return on equity of 26.39%. The company’s revenue was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $6.26 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 27.7 earnings per share for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 19th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 11th were given a dividend of $1.88 per share. This represents a $7.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.60%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 8th. UnitedHealth Group’s payout ratio is currently 31.54%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CAO Thomas E. Roos sold 858 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $525.79, for a total value of $451,127.82. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 32,289 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,977,233.31. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, EVP Erin Mcsweeney sold 1,236 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $483.48, for a total value of $597,581.28. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 9,364 shares in the company, valued at $4,527,306.72. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CAO Thomas E. Roos sold 858 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $525.79, for a total transaction of $451,127.82. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 32,289 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,977,233.31. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.35% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have weighed in on UNH. TD Cowen decreased their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $607.00 to $546.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $618.00 to $584.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 5th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $591.00 price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $605.00 price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Thursday, February 8th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $596.00 target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Thursday, February 29th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, UnitedHealth Group has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $573.80.

UnitedHealth Group Company 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.