UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) Shares Sold by Heritage Wealth Partners LLC

Heritage Wealth Partners LLC reduced its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 7.6% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 1,710 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after selling 140 shares during the quarter. UnitedHealth Group accounts for 1.8% of Heritage Wealth Partners LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 19th largest holding. Heritage Wealth Partners LLC’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $900,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of UNH. Axiom Financial Strategies LLC acquired a new position in UnitedHealth Group during the first quarter worth approximately $210,000. McGowan Group Asset Management Inc. raised its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 8.9% in the 1st quarter. McGowan Group Asset Management Inc. now owns 744 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $379,000 after buying an additional 61 shares during the period. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. grew its position in UnitedHealth Group by 31.8% during the first quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 250,196 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $127,592,000 after acquiring an additional 60,300 shares during the period. MAS Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 10.8% during the 1st quarter. MAS Advisors LLC now owns 463 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $241,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the period. Finally, First Western Trust Bank purchased a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the first quarter valued at approximately $875,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.86% of the company’s stock.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE UNH traded up $1.60 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $494.70. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 3,820,008 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,274,309. The firm has a market cap of $456.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.75, a P/E/G ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 0.54. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 1-year low of $445.68 and a 1-year high of $554.70. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $502.66 and its 200-day moving average price is $518.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 0.79.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last posted its earnings results on Friday, January 12th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.16 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.98 by $0.18. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 26.39% and a net margin of 6.02%. The company had revenue of $94.43 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $92.13 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $5.34 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 14.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 27.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 19th. Investors of record on Monday, March 11th were issued a $1.88 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 8th. This represents a $7.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.52%. UnitedHealth Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 31.54%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently commented on UNH shares. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $591.00 price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Friday, January 19th. Erste Group Bank reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Wednesday, March 13th. Barclays assumed coverage on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Wednesday, March 6th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $551.00 price objective for the company. Oppenheimer reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $610.00 price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Wednesday, January 17th. Finally, HSBC restated a “reduce” rating and set a $480.00 price objective (down from $550.00) on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Monday, December 18th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, UnitedHealth Group currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $579.33.

Insider Buying and Selling at UnitedHealth Group

In related news, CAO Thomas E. Roos sold 858 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $525.79, for a total value of $451,127.82. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 32,289 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,977,233.31. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, CAO Thomas E. Roos sold 858 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $525.79, for a total value of $451,127.82. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 32,289 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,977,233.31. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Erin Mcsweeney sold 1,236 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $483.48, for a total value of $597,581.28. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 9,364 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,527,306.72. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.35% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.