WASHINGTON TRUST Co Purchases 275 Shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)

WASHINGTON TRUST Co lifted its position in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 23.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,465 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after purchasing an additional 275 shares during the quarter. WASHINGTON TRUST Co’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $771,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Keebeck Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 11.6% during the second quarter. Keebeck Wealth Management LLC now owns 10,788 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $5,185,000 after acquiring an additional 1,122 shares during the last quarter. Ascension Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in UnitedHealth Group during the third quarter worth approximately $216,000. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in UnitedHealth Group during the third quarter worth approximately $207,000. Bartlett & Co. LLC grew its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 5.7% during the third quarter. Bartlett & Co. LLC now owns 164,353 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $82,865,000 after buying an additional 8,873 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 5.8% during the third quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. now owns 34,297 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $17,292,000 after buying an additional 1,884 shares during the last quarter. 87.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Performance

UNH traded up $0.60 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $493.70. 1,742,664 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,061,738. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $503.73 and its 200 day simple moving average is $518.79. The firm has a market capitalization of $455.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 1-year low of $445.68 and a 1-year high of $554.70.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 12th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.16 earnings per share 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 company had revenue of $94.43 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $92.13 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $5.34 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 27.82 earnings per share for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 19th. Investors of record on Monday, March 11th were paid a $1.88 dividend. This represents a $7.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.52%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 8th. UnitedHealth Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 31.54%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently commented on UNH. Barclays began coverage on UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $551.00 target price on the stock. HSBC reiterated a “reduce” rating and issued a $480.00 price target (down previously from $550.00) on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Monday, December 18th. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $605.00 price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Thursday, February 8th. Piper Sandler lowered their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $584.00 to $581.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 17th. Finally, Bank of America restated a “buy” rating and set a $675.00 target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Thursday, March 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $579.33.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other UnitedHealth Group news, EVP Erin Mcsweeney sold 1,236 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 sale, 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 SEC, which is available through this link. In other UnitedHealth Group 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 directly owns 32,289 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,977,233.31. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, 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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 9,364 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,527,306.72. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.35% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.