UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp Cuts Stock Position in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)

UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp decreased its stake in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 2.0% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 31,713 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after selling 649 shares during the quarter. UnitedHealth Group accounts for approximately 1.0% of UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp’s portfolio, making the stock its 22nd biggest position. UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $16,043,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of UNH. NewSquare Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. AlphaMark Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Promus Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the 3rd quarter worth about $37,000. Finally, Pillar Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter worth $40,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.86% of the company’s stock.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Down 0.6 %

NYSE:UNH opened at $513.58 on Wednesday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $509.10 and its 200-day simple moving average is $545.56. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 12-month low of $436.38 and a 12-month high of $630.73. The firm has a market capitalization of $469.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.13, a P/E/G ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 0.62. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 16th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.81 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.74 by $0.07. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 3.60% and a return on equity of 26.69%. The business had revenue of $100.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $101.60 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $5.83 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 earnings per share for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 18th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th were given a $2.10 dividend. This represents a $8.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.64%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 10th. UnitedHealth Group’s payout ratio is 54.19%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other UnitedHealth Group news, Director Timothy Patrick Flynn purchased 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 purchase, the director now owns 4,500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,302,065. This trade represents a 28.57 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on UNH shares. StockNews.com raised UnitedHealth Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. KeyCorp reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $650.00 price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Stephens raised their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $605.00 to $675.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Truist Financial reduced their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $625.00 to $610.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $694.00 to $660.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Twenty investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $629.32.

UnitedHealth Group Company 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.