UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) Shares Bought by SlateStone Wealth LLC

SlateStone Wealth LLC lifted its position in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 1.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 12,465 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after acquiring an additional 172 shares during the period. SlateStone Wealth LLC’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $6,562,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Marks Group Wealth Management Inc boosted its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Marks Group Wealth Management Inc now owns 27,403 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $14,427,000 after purchasing an additional 598 shares during the period. PDS Planning Inc lifted its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. PDS Planning Inc now owns 4,860 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $2,559,000 after buying an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. Aspire Private Capital LLC lifted its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 5.3% in the fourth quarter. Aspire Private Capital LLC now owns 1,626 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $856,000 after buying an additional 82 shares during the last quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System increased its position in UnitedHealth Group by 35.9% during the fourth quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 3,090,986 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $1,627,311,000 after acquiring an additional 815,822 shares during the period. Finally, Garrison Asset Management LLC increased its position in UnitedHealth Group by 35.0% during the fourth quarter. Garrison Asset Management LLC now owns 779 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $410,000 after acquiring an additional 202 shares during the period. 87.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UNH has been the topic of several analyst reports. Piper Sandler boosted their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $566.00 to $571.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 17th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $596.00 to $555.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 17th. TD Cowen reduced their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $607.00 to $546.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $600.00 to $525.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 8th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $545.00 to $562.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 19th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $570.05.

UnitedHealth Group Price Performance

NYSE UNH opened at $483.39 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 12-month low of $436.38 and a 12-month high of $554.70. The company has a market capitalization of $445.65 billion, a PE ratio of 29.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.54. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $487.49 and its 200-day moving average is $514.76.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 16th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.63 by $0.28. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 4.05% and a return on equity of 26.50%. The company had revenue of $99.80 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $99.23 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $6.26 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 27.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 19th. Investors of record on Monday, March 11th were paid a $1.88 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 8th. This represents a $7.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.56%. UnitedHealth Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 45.97%.

Insider Activity at UnitedHealth Group

In other 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 completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 32,289 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,977,233.31. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, EVP Erin Mcsweeney sold 1,236 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, 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 can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CAO Thomas E. Roos sold 858 shares of the business’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 approximately $16,977,233.31. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.35% of the stock is 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.