Sfmg LLC Increases Stock Position in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)

Sfmg LLC grew its position in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 4.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,464 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the period. Sfmg LLC’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $771,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Ascension Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new position in UnitedHealth Group during the third quarter valued at about $216,000. Bellecapital International Ltd. grew its position in UnitedHealth Group by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. Bellecapital International Ltd. now owns 13,823 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $7,277,000 after buying an additional 193 shares during the period. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. grew its position in UnitedHealth Group by 5.8% during the third quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. now owns 34,297 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $17,292,000 after buying an additional 1,884 shares during the period. Rise Advisors LLC grew its position in UnitedHealth Group by 326.0% during the fourth quarter. Rise Advisors LLC now owns 213 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $112,000 after buying an additional 163 shares during the period. Finally, Gradient Investments LLC boosted its position in UnitedHealth Group by 6.3% during the fourth quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 84,278 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $44,370,000 after purchasing an additional 5,023 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.86% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

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

UnitedHealth Group Price Performance

Shares of UNH stock traded up $23.26 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $468.89. 11,816,517 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,248,641. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 12-month low of $436.38 and a 12-month high of $554.70. The company has a market capitalization of $432.28 billion, a PE ratio of 19.67, a PEG ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 0.54. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $490.31 and its 200-day simple moving average is $515.63.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 16th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.54 by $0.37. The firm had revenue of $99.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $99.23 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 6.02% and a return on equity of 26.39%. The business’s revenue was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $6.26 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 27.69 earnings per share for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 19th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 11th were issued a dividend of $1.88 per share. This represents a $7.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.60%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 8th. UnitedHealth Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 31.54%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $591.00 target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. HSBC upgraded shares of UnitedHealth Group from a “reduce” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $460.00 target price for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 4th. Barclays initiated coverage on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Wednesday, March 6th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $551.00 target price for the company. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $596.00 price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Thursday, February 29th. Finally, Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $605.00 price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Thursday, February 8th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $573.80.

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.