UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) Shares Sold by Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc.

Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. cut its holdings in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 23.5% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 146,894 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after selling 45,022 shares during the quarter. UnitedHealth Group comprises approximately 1.7% of Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 14th largest holding. Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $70,603,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Chelsea Counsel Co. acquired a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. 25 LLC acquired a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the first quarter worth about $28,000. Cascade Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the first quarter worth about $28,000. Freedom Wealth Alliance LLC acquired a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Kalos Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the first quarter worth about $34,000. 85.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Andrew Witty sold 4,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $506.19, for a total value of $2,024,760.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 78,573 shares in the company, valued at $39,772,866.87. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.35% of the company’s stock.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Performance

Shares of UNH stock opened at $486.06 on Tuesday. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a one year low of $445.68 and a one year high of $558.10. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $492.05 and a 200 day moving average price of $486.73. The firm has a market capitalization of $450.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 0.80.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 14th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.92 by $0.22. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 6.06% and a return on equity of 26.72%. The company had revenue of $92.90 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $90.97 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $5.57 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 15.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 24.83 EPS for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 19th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 11th will be paid a $1.88 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 8th. This represents a $7.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.55%. UnitedHealth Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 33.65%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently commented on the stock. TD Cowen decreased their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $562.00 to $555.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, July 17th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $616.00 to $561.00 in a report on Thursday, July 13th. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Thursday, August 17th. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. Piper Sandler began coverage on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Thursday, May 25th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $580.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein raised shares of UnitedHealth Group from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their price target for the company from $595.00 to $603.00 in a report on Tuesday, July 18th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $575.65.

UnitedHealth Group Company Profile

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated operates as a diversified health care company in the United States. It 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.