Blue Chip Partners LLC Acquires 467 Shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)

Blue Chip Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 0.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 51,569 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after purchasing an additional 467 shares during the quarter. UnitedHealth Group makes up about 2.8% of Blue Chip Partners LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 9th largest position. Blue Chip Partners LLC’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $27,150,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of UNH. Richelieu Gestion SA bought a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Robbins Farley bought a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. CGC Financial Services LLC raised its position in UnitedHealth Group by 1,000.0% in the 4th quarter. CGC Financial Services LLC now owns 55 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC raised its position in UnitedHealth Group by 340.0% in the 3rd quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 66 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. Finally, LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA raised its position in UnitedHealth Group by 148.1% in the 4th quarter. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA now owns 67 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.86% of the company’s stock.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Up 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE:UNH traded up $1.49 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $495.35. The stock had a trading volume of 2,727,016 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,623,667. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 12 month low of $436.38 and a 12 month high of $554.70. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $485.84 and its 200-day simple moving average is $514.07. The company has a market cap of $455.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.28, a PEG ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 0.54.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 16th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.91 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.63 by $0.28. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 4.05% and a return on equity of 26.50%. The business had revenue of $99.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $99.23 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $6.26 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 27.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 19th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 11th were issued a dividend of $1.88 per share. This represents a $7.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.52%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 8th. UnitedHealth Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 45.97%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Oppenheimer restated an “outperform” rating and set a $610.00 target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Wednesday, January 17th. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $618.00 to $584.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 5th. TD Cowen cut their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $607.00 to $546.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. HSBC upgraded shares of UnitedHealth Group from a “reduce” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $460.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 4th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of UnitedHealth Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 18th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $570.05.

Insider Transactions at UnitedHealth Group

In other news, EVP Erin Mcsweeney sold 1,236 shares of UnitedHealth Group 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 completion of the sale, 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 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 shares were sold at an average price of $525.79, for a total value of $451,127.82. Following the completion of 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. Insiders own 0.35% 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.