UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) Shares Acquired by James Hambro & Partners

James Hambro & Partners boosted its stake in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 5.4% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 192,726 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after buying an additional 9,823 shares during the period. UnitedHealth Group makes up about 5.4% of James Hambro & Partners’ portfolio, making the stock its 7th largest position. James Hambro & Partners’ holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $101,516,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Keebeck Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 11.6% in the second quarter. Keebeck Wealth Management LLC now owns 10,788 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $5,185,000 after purchasing an additional 1,122 shares in the last quarter. Ascension Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in UnitedHealth Group during the third quarter valued at approximately $216,000. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $207,000. Bartlett & Co. LLC boosted its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 5.7% in the 3rd quarter. Bartlett & Co. LLC now owns 164,353 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $82,865,000 after purchasing an additional 8,873 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 5.8% in the 3rd quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. now owns 34,297 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $17,292,000 after purchasing an additional 1,884 shares in the last quarter. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UNH has been the subject of several research reports. Barclays initiated coverage on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $551.00 price objective for the company. Truist Financial restated a “buy” rating and set a $610.00 price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Thursday, November 30th. HSBC reaffirmed a “reduce” rating and set a $480.00 price target (down previously from $550.00) on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Monday, December 18th. Oppenheimer reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $610.00 price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Wednesday, January 17th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $596.00 target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Thursday, February 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $579.33.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Up 0.3 %

Shares of UNH traded up $1.60 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $494.70. 3,820,008 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,274,309. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 1-year low of $445.68 and a 1-year high of $554.70. The business has a 50 day moving average of $502.66 and a 200 day moving average of $518.44. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The company has a market capitalization of $456.08 billion, a PE ratio of 20.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 0.54.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 12th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.16 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.98 by $0.18. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 26.39% and a net margin of 6.02%. The business had revenue of $94.43 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $92.13 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $5.34 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 14.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 27.82 EPS for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 19th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 11th were given a dividend of $1.88 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 8th. This represents a $7.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.52%. UnitedHealth Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 31.54%.

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.