HM Payson & Co. Sells 2,653 Shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH

HM Payson & Co. cut its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 31.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 5,851 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after selling 2,653 shares during the quarter. HM Payson & Co.’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $2,020,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Murphy Pohlad Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 21.8% in the second quarter. Murphy Pohlad Asset Management LLC now owns 4,425 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $1,380,000 after buying an additional 791 shares in the last quarter. Carnegie Investment Counsel increased its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. Carnegie Investment Counsel now owns 105,621 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $36,471,000 after acquiring an additional 2,316 shares during the last quarter. Berkshire Hathaway Inc bought a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,572,193,000. Triumph Capital Management bought a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the second quarter worth approximately $1,324,000. Finally, Wealth Effects LLC lifted its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 14.4% during the 2nd quarter. Wealth Effects LLC now owns 4,688 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $1,463,000 after acquiring an additional 591 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.86% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Weiss Ratings raised shares of UnitedHealth Group from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Friday, October 24th. Bank of America increased their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $350.00 to $390.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $267.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 7th. Mizuho lifted their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $300.00 to $430.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 9th. Finally, KeyCorp lifted their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $350.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Seventeen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, UnitedHealth Group presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $385.54.

UnitedHealth Group Price Performance

Shares of UNH opened at $328.85 on Tuesday. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 1-year low of $234.60 and a 1-year high of $606.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.82. The firm has a market capitalization of $297.88 billion, a PE ratio of 17.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 0.43. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $333.00 and its 200-day moving average price is $319.23.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 28th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $2.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.87 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $113.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $113.19 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 19.23% and a net margin of 4.04%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $7.15 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 EPS for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 8th were paid a $2.21 dividend. This represents a $8.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 8th. UnitedHealth Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 46.14%.

UnitedHealth Group Profile

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.