Steph & Co. Lowers Position in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)

Steph & Co. reduced its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 3.1% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 1,709 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after selling 54 shares during the period. UnitedHealth Group accounts for 0.4% of Steph & Co.’s portfolio, making the stock its 28th biggest holding. Steph & Co.’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $900,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in UNH. Robbins Farley purchased a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the third quarter worth $25,000. Richelieu Gestion SA purchased a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. CGC Financial Services LLC raised its holdings 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 valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC raised its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 340.0% during the 3rd quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 66 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. Finally, LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA boosted its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 148.1% in the 4th quarter. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA now owns 67 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.86% of the company’s stock.

UnitedHealth Group Trading Up 2.2 %

Shares of UnitedHealth Group stock traded up $10.10 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $478.99. The stock had a trading volume of 8,753,186 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,466,666. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $490.31 and its 200-day simple moving average is $515.63. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 12 month low of $436.38 and a 12 month high of $554.70. The stock has a market cap of $441.60 billion, a PE ratio of 20.17, a PEG ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.79.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 16th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.91 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.63 by $0.28. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 26.39% and a net margin of 6.02%. The company had revenue of $99.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $99.23 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $6.26 EPS. UnitedHealth Group’s quarterly revenue was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 27.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 19th. Investors of record on Monday, March 11th were paid a dividend of $1.88 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 8th. This represents a $7.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.57%. UnitedHealth Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 31.54%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UNH has been the topic of several research reports. Bank of America reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $675.00 target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Thursday, March 7th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $600.00 to $525.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 8th. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $591.00 price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $566.00 to $571.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and set a $605.00 target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Thursday, February 8th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $571.20.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CAO Thomas E. Roos sold 858 shares of UnitedHealth Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $525.79, for a total transaction of $451,127.82. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 32,289 shares in the company, valued at $16,977,233.31. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other UnitedHealth Group news, CAO Thomas E. Roos sold 858 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $525.79, for a total value of $451,127.82. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly 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 is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Erin Mcsweeney sold 1,236 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 9,364 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,527,306.72. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.35% of the company’s stock.

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.