Sig Brokerage LP Invests $2.41 Million in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)

Sig Brokerage LP bought a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm bought 4,756 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock, valued at approximately $2,406,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UNH. NewSquare Capital LLC acquired a new position in UnitedHealth Group during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Hurley Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. AlphaMark Advisors LLC bought a new position in UnitedHealth Group during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd bought a new position in UnitedHealth Group during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.86% of the company’s stock.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Performance

Shares of UnitedHealth Group stock opened at $273.96 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $248.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.67, a PEG ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 0.56. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $474.72 and its 200 day moving average is $515.82. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 1 year low of $248.88 and a 1 year high of $630.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 0.83 and a quick ratio of 0.91.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 17th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $7.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.29 by ($0.09). The firm had revenue of $109.58 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $111.56 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 26.69% and a net margin of 3.60%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $6.91 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 18th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th were paid a $2.10 dividend. This represents a $8.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.07%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 10th. UnitedHealth Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 35.18%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently weighed in on UNH shares. Argus lowered shares of UnitedHealth Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, April 21st. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $700.00 price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Friday, January 17th. Hsbc Global Res lowered shares of UnitedHealth Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Robert W. Baird lowered their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $510.00 to $356.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of UnitedHealth Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, UnitedHealth Group has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $508.38.

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.