UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) Stock Holdings Lessened by Wedge Capital Management L L P NC

Wedge Capital Management L L P NC cut its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 12.2% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 18,558 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after selling 2,590 shares during the quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $10,850,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of UNH. Fiduciary Alliance LLC boosted its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 91.7% in the third quarter. Fiduciary Alliance LLC now owns 2,743 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $1,604,000 after buying an additional 1,312 shares during the period. Muirfield Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in UnitedHealth Group during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $256,000. Granite Harbor Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 29.1% in the third quarter. Granite Harbor Advisors Inc. now owns 1,096 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $641,000 after buying an additional 247 shares during the period. Empirical Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 0.5% during the third quarter. Empirical Asset Management LLC now owns 18,699 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $10,933,000 after buying an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Adamsbrown Wealth Consultants LLC acquired a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $228,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.86% of the company’s stock.

UnitedHealth Group Price Performance

Shares of UNH stock opened at $607.55 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.88, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. The firm has a market capitalization of $561.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.29, a PEG ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 0.58. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $584.39 and its 200-day moving average is $532.15. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 1 year low of $436.38 and a 1 year high of $608.63.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 16th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.80 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.66 by $0.14. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 26.55% and a net margin of 3.66%. The firm had revenue of $98.86 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $98.73 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $6.14 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts forecast that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 27.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 24th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 16th were given a dividend of $2.10 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 16th. This represents a $8.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.38%. UnitedHealth Group’s payout ratio is presently 55.70%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $597.00 to $640.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $640.00 to $680.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 18th. Argus lifted their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $570.00 to $600.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $595.00 to $615.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. Finally, Barclays upped their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $560.00 to $604.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $617.37.

Insider Transactions at UnitedHealth Group

In other UnitedHealth Group news, EVP Erin Mcsweeney sold 1,500 shares of UnitedHealth Group stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $579.03, for a total transaction of $868,545.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 7,785 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,507,748.55. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, CAO Thomas E. Roos sold 2,851 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $569.88, for a total transaction of $1,624,727.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 29,501 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,812,029.88. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Erin Mcsweeney sold 1,500 shares of UnitedHealth Group stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $579.03, for a total transaction of $868,545.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 7,785 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,507,748.55. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.33% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

About UnitedHealth Group

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.