UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) Holdings Decreased by River Road Asset Management LLC

River Road Asset Management LLC reduced its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 7.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 72,708 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after selling 5,670 shares during the quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $38,279,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Richelieu Gestion SA bought a new stake in UnitedHealth Group in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Robbins Farley acquired a new stake in UnitedHealth Group during the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. CGC Financial Services LLC raised its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 1,000.0% during the 4th quarter. CGC Financial Services LLC now owns 55 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the period. NewSquare Capital LLC grew 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 acquiring 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.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UNH has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Piper Sandler lifted their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $566.00 to $571.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $618.00 to $584.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 5th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $600.00 to $525.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 8th. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $605.00 price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Thursday, February 8th. Finally, HSBC raised UnitedHealth Group from a “reduce” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $460.00 price target for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 4th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, UnitedHealth Group currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $571.20.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Performance

Shares of UNH stock traded up $10.10 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $478.99. 8,754,072 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,451,675. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $436.38 and a fifty-two week high of $554.70. The stock has a market capitalization of $441.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.17, a P/E/G ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 0.54. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $490.31 and a 200-day moving average price of $515.63. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62.

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

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

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

Insider Transactions at UnitedHealth Group

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

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.