Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. Trims Stock Position in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. reduced its position in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 6.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,684,641 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after selling 171,076 shares during the quarter. UnitedHealth Group comprises approximately 0.5% of Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 28th biggest position. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. owned approximately 0.30% of UnitedHealth Group worth $927,007,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in UNH. First Horizon Corp acquired a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the third quarter valued at about $1,449,000. MGO One Seven LLC grew its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 135.2% in the third quarter. MGO One Seven LLC now owns 25,201 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $8,702,000 after purchasing an additional 14,486 shares during the period. Meeder Asset Management Inc. increased its position in UnitedHealth Group by 6,461.3% during the third quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 29,329 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $10,127,000 after purchasing an additional 28,882 shares during the last quarter. Alley Investment Management Company LLC acquired a new stake in UnitedHealth Group during the third quarter worth about $204,000. Finally, Lodestone Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in UnitedHealth Group by 13.5% during the third quarter. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,395 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $827,000 after buying an additional 284 shares in the last quarter. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

UnitedHealth Group Trading Down 0.9%

Shares of NYSE UNH opened at $343.83 on Monday. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $234.60 and a fifty-two week 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 $311.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.95, a P/E/G ratio of 2.08 and a beta of 0.42. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $329.51 and its 200 day simple moving average is $321.33.

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. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 19.23% and a net margin of 4.04%.The business had revenue of $113.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $113.19 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $7.15 EPS. UnitedHealth Group’s quarterly revenue was up 12.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 EPS for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 16th. Investors of record on Monday, December 8th were paid a $2.21 dividend. This represents a $8.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 8th. UnitedHealth Group’s payout ratio is 46.14%.

Key UnitedHealth Group News

Here are the key news stories impacting UnitedHealth Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: UnitedHealth released two independent Milliman actuarial studies finding Medicare Advantage costs the government less and lowers beneficiaries’ out-of-pocket costs, which the company is using to defend the value of its MA business and to counter regulatory criticism. New Independent Studies: Medicare Advantage Delivers Greater Value to the Federal Government and Beneficiaries than Traditional Medicare
• Neutral Sentiment: Brokerage coverage remains generally constructive (average rating reported as “Moderate Buy”), suggesting analysts still expect earnings growth despite near-term headline risk. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages
• Neutral Sentiment: Sector momentum commentary (healthcare rebound / ETFs) highlights tailwinds for major insurers from drug and services trends; this supports sentiment for large diversified players like UNH but is a broader factor rather than company-specific. This ETF Is Proof That the Healthcare Rebound Is Real (UNH)
• Negative Sentiment: A Senate committee report (reported by Reuters and the WSJ) says UnitedHealth used aggressive tactics to capture diagnoses that boost Medicare Advantage payments — allegations that increase the risk of congressional scrutiny, investigations, fines or required repayment and could pressure margins and the stock. Senate report says UnitedHealth used aggressive tactics to boost medicare payments, WSJ reports UnitedHealth Group deployed aggressive tactics to collect payment-boosting diagnoses for its Medicare Advantage members, a Senate committee investigating the company’s practices said

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently commented on UNH. Weiss Ratings upgraded UnitedHealth Group from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Friday, October 24th. Evercore ISI raised shares of UnitedHealth Group to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $433.00 to $440.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Bank of America upped their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $350.00 to $390.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Leerink Partners set a $410.00 price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $385.75.

UnitedHealth Group Company 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.