Equitable Trust Co. Boosts Stock Position in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)

Equitable Trust Co. increased its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 19.5% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 13,850 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,260 shares during the period. Equitable Trust Co.’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $7,254,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Hurley Capital LLC purchased a new position in UnitedHealth Group during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. IAG Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the first quarter worth about $42,000. Finally, Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda bought a new stake in UnitedHealth Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.86% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently weighed in on UNH shares. Erste Group Bank cut shares of UnitedHealth Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $563.00 to $374.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. Wall Street Zen cut UnitedHealth Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, May 24th. Bank of America cut shares of UnitedHealth Group from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price target for the company from $560.00 to $350.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Friday, June 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $394.43.

Insider Activity at UnitedHealth Group

In other news, CEO Stephen J. Hemsley acquired 86,700 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 16th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $288.57 per share, with a total value of $25,019,019.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 679,493 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $196,081,295.01. This represents a 14.63% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Patrick Hugh Conway sold 589 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $305.00, for a total transaction of $179,645.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 10,398 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,171,390. The trade was a 5.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders purchased a total of 109,408 shares of company stock valued at $31,607,768 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

UnitedHealth Group Trading Down 4.8%

NYSE:UNH opened at $278.52 on Friday. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 12 month low of $248.88 and a 12 month high of $630.73. The stock has a market cap of $252.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.66, a P/E/G ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $301.79 and a 200-day moving average price of $427.21. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71.

UnitedHealth Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 24th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 16th were given a $2.21 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 16th. This represents a $8.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.17%. This is a positive change from UnitedHealth Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.10. UnitedHealth Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 37.02%.

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.