Van ECK Associates Corp Sells 170,669 Shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH

Van ECK Associates Corp lowered its stake in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 88.4% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 22,442 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after selling 170,669 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $9,328,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan increased its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 2.3% in the second quarter. Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan now owns 120,615 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $50,131,000 after buying an additional 2,678 shares during the period. Campbell Newman Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in UnitedHealth Group in the 2nd quarter worth $45,411,000. Field & Main Bank bought a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the second quarter valued at about $3,926,000. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 5.8% in the second quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 10,675,175 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $4,436,923,000 after purchasing an additional 583,536 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tilia Fiduciary Partners Inc. raised its position in UnitedHealth Group by 4.1% during the 2nd quarter. Tilia Fiduciary Partners Inc. now owns 7,020 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $2,918,000 after purchasing an additional 276 shares during the last quarter. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

UnitedHealth Group Trading Up 1.8%

NYSE:UNH opened at $396.23 on Wednesday. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 52 week low of $255.96 and a 52 week high of $461.62. The stock has a market cap of $355.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.50, a PEG ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 0.61. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $412.68 and its 200-day moving average price is $362.36. The company has a quick ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 16th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.38 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.94 by $1.44. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 16.53% and a net margin of 3.14%.The business had revenue of $112.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $110.81 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $4.08 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up .4% compared to the same quarter last year. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 19.500-20.000 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 19.82 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 22nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 14th will be paid a dividend of $2.32 per share. This represents a $9.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 14th. UnitedHealth Group’s payout ratio is currently 59.72%.

Insider Buying and Selling at UnitedHealth Group

In other UnitedHealth Group news, CEO Patrick Hugh Conway sold 1,169 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $390.00, for a total transaction of $455,910.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 15,328 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,977,920. This represents a 7.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.19% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have issued reports on UNH shares. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $429.00 to $441.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, July 20th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $397.00 to $485.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $440.00 to $480.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Zacks Research raised UnitedHealth Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. Finally, HC Wainwright set a $492.00 price target on UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have assigned a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, UnitedHealth Group has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $456.56.

About UnitedHealth Group

UnitedHealth Group Inc is a diversified health care company headquartered in Minnetonka, Minnesota, that operates two primary business platforms: UnitedHealthcare and Optum. Founded in 1977, the company provides a broad range of health benefits and health care services to individuals, employers, governmental entities and other organizations. Its operations span commercial employer-sponsored plans, individual and Medicare and Medicaid programs, and services for customers and health systems in the United States and selected international markets.

UnitedHealthcare is the company’s benefits business, administering health plans and networks, managing provider relationships, and offering coverage products for employers, individuals, and government-sponsored programs.