7,001 Shares in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) Acquired by Berbice Capital Management LLC

Berbice Capital Management LLC bought a new position in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund bought 7,001 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock, valued at approximately $3,542,000. UnitedHealth Group makes up 2.8% of Berbice Capital Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 13th largest position.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of UNH. Southland Equity Partners LLC bought a new position in UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $223,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC increased its position in UnitedHealth Group by 6.6% during the 4th quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 2,069 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $1,047,000 after purchasing an additional 129 shares during the period. LexAurum Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 4.2% during the 4th quarter. LexAurum Advisors LLC now owns 10,089 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $5,103,000 after purchasing an additional 403 shares in the last quarter. RFG Advisory LLC lifted its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 3.3% in the fourth quarter. RFG Advisory LLC now owns 4,635 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $2,344,000 after buying an additional 150 shares during the period. Finally, Motive Wealth Advisors lifted its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 17.1% in the 4th quarter. Motive Wealth Advisors now owns 755 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $382,000 after purchasing an additional 110 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.86% of the company’s stock.

UnitedHealth Group Price Performance

NYSE UNH opened at $532.26 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $489.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.34, a PEG ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 0.62. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 12 month low of $436.38 and a 12 month high of $630.73. The company’s 50 day moving average is $542.24 and its two-hundred day moving average is $563.54. The company has a current ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 16th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.74 by $0.07. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 26.69% and a net margin of 3.60%. The business had revenue of $100.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $101.60 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $5.83 EPS. UnitedHealth Group’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts anticipate that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.74 earnings per share for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 17th. Investors of record on Monday, December 9th were given a dividend of $2.10 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 9th. This represents a $8.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.58%. UnitedHealth Group’s dividend payout ratio is 54.19%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UNH has been the topic of a number of research reports. StockNews.com upgraded shares of UnitedHealth Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday. Barclays cut their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $655.00 to $642.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $615.00 to $595.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. UBS Group lowered their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $680.00 to $650.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $700.00 price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Friday, January 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, UnitedHealth Group has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $627.74.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other UnitedHealth Group news, Director Timothy Patrick Flynn purchased 1,000 shares of UnitedHealth Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 17th. The shares were bought at an average price of $511.57 per share, for a total transaction of $511,570.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 4,500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,302,065. This trade represents a 28.57 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.33% 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.