Echo45 Advisors LLC Grows Stock Holdings in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)

Echo45 Advisors LLC boosted its stake in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 3.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 885 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after purchasing an additional 26 shares during the period. UnitedHealth Group comprises approximately 0.4% of Echo45 Advisors LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 24th largest position. Echo45 Advisors LLC’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $466,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Kraft Davis & Associates LLC raised its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 3.4% in the third quarter. Kraft Davis & Associates LLC now owns 577 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $294,000 after buying an additional 19 shares during the last quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 1.6% during the third quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,217 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $614,000 after buying an additional 19 shares during the period. Secure Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 0.8% during the third quarter. Secure Asset Management LLC now owns 2,456 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $1,238,000 after buying an additional 19 shares during the period. Bensler LLC raised its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 0.3% during the third quarter. Bensler LLC now owns 7,293 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $3,677,000 after purchasing an additional 19 shares during the period. Finally, Texas Capital Bancshares Inc TX raised its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 1.1% during the third quarter. Texas Capital Bancshares Inc TX now owns 1,695 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $855,000 after purchasing an additional 19 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.86% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on UNH shares. Piper Sandler raised their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $566.00 to $571.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday. Erste Group Bank reissued a “hold” rating on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Wednesday, March 13th. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $605.00 price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Thursday, February 8th. TD Cowen reduced 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. Finally, 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. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, UnitedHealth Group currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $569.68.

UnitedHealth Group Price Performance

Shares of UNH traded up $14.17 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $493.16. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 8,879,564 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,525,576. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $489.51 and a 200 day moving average price of $515.38. The stock has a market capitalization of $454.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.38, a PEG ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.79. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $436.38 and a fifty-two week high of $554.70.

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, topping the consensus estimate of $6.63 by $0.28. The business had revenue of $99.80 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $99.23 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 4.05% and a return on equity of 26.50%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $6.26 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 27.75 EPS for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Erin Mcsweeney sold 1,236 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 8th. The shares were 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 directly owns 9,364 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,527,306.72. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other UnitedHealth Group news, CAO Thomas E. Roos sold 858 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 directly owns 32,289 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,977,233.31. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Erin Mcsweeney sold 1,236 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, March 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $483.48, for a total transaction 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 approximately $4,527,306.72. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.35% of the company’s stock.

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.