PFG Investments LLC Cuts Stock Holdings in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)

PFG Investments LLC reduced its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 17.4% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 8,666 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after selling 1,829 shares during the period. PFG Investments LLC’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $4,539,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. NewSquare Capital LLC purchased a new position in UnitedHealth Group during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Hurley Capital LLC purchased a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd purchased a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Promus Capital LLC purchased a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $32,000. 87.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

UnitedHealth Group Trading Down 1.7%

Shares of UNH opened at $302.04 on Friday. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $248.88 and a fifty-two week high of $630.73. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $359.15 and a two-hundred day moving average of $463.79. The company has a market capitalization of $273.99 billion, a PE ratio of 12.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 0.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 0.85.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 17th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $7.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $7.29 by ($0.09). UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 5.39% and a return on equity of 26.29%. The company had revenue of $109.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $111.56 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $6.91 earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 EPS for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 24th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 16th will be paid a dividend of $2.21 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 16th. This is a boost from UnitedHealth Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.10. This represents a $8.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.93%. UnitedHealth Group’s payout ratio is currently 37.02%.

Insider Activity

In other UnitedHealth Group news, CFO John F. Rex purchased 17,175 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 16th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $291.12 per share, with a total value of $4,999,986.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 203,796 shares in the company, valued at approximately $59,329,091.52. This trade represents a 9.20% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director John H. Noseworthy purchased 300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 14th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $312.16 per share, with a total value of $93,648.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 6,063 shares in the company, valued at $1,892,626.08. This trade represents a 5.21% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders purchased 109,408 shares of company stock valued at $31,607,768 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Barclays dropped their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group to $350.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, June 2nd. Mizuho cut their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $515.00 to $350.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Raymond James Financial downgraded UnitedHealth Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Wall Street Zen downgraded UnitedHealth Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 24th. Finally, Wolfe Research cut their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $501.00 to $390.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, UnitedHealth Group has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $427.09.

UnitedHealth Group 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.