Bristlecone Advisors LLC Trims Stock Position in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)

Bristlecone Advisors LLC lessened its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 0.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 10,705 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after selling 43 shares during the quarter. Bristlecone Advisors LLC’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $5,415,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Soltis Investment Advisors LLC boosted its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 17.2% during the 4th quarter. Soltis Investment Advisors LLC now owns 21,444 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $10,848,000 after purchasing an additional 3,148 shares during the last quarter. Elser Financial Planning Inc acquired a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter worth about $524,000. Silicon Valley Capital Partners increased its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 16.7% during the fourth quarter. Silicon Valley Capital Partners now owns 14,547 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $7,359,000 after acquiring an additional 2,085 shares during the last quarter. Wingate Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $79,000. Finally, Savant Capital LLC lifted its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 4.3% during the 4th quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 21,866 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $11,062,000 after acquiring an additional 910 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.86% of the company’s stock.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Performance

Shares of UNH opened at $526.68 on Monday. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 52-week low of $436.38 and a 52-week high of $630.73. The firm has a market capitalization of $484.69 billion, a PE ratio of 33.98, a P/E/G ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 0.61. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $529.18 and a 200 day moving average price of $564.37. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 16th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.74 by $0.07. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 26.69% and a net margin of 3.60%. The business had revenue of $100.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $101.60 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $5.83 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently commented on UNH shares. Oppenheimer boosted their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $610.00 to $640.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, December 6th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $595.00 to $625.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 3rd. Piper Sandler cut their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $605.00 to $600.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 2nd. Bank of America cut their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $675.00 to $650.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $700.00 target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Friday, January 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, UnitedHealth Group currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $629.32.

Insider Transactions at UnitedHealth Group

In related news, Director Timothy Patrick Flynn purchased 1,000 shares of UnitedHealth Group stock in a transaction on Friday, January 17th. The stock was bought at an average price of $511.57 per share, with a total value of $511,570.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 4,500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,302,065. This represents a 28.57 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.33% of the stock is currently owned by 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.