Gradient Investments LLC Buys 5,023 Shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)

Gradient Investments LLC increased its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 6.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 84,278 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after acquiring an additional 5,023 shares during the quarter. UnitedHealth Group comprises 1.1% of Gradient Investments LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 19th biggest position. Gradient Investments LLC’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $44,370,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Robbins Farley purchased a new stake in UnitedHealth Group during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Richelieu Gestion SA purchased a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. CGC Financial Services LLC boosted its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 1,000.0% in the 4th quarter. CGC Financial Services LLC now owns 55 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC boosted its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 340.0% in the 3rd quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 66 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL acquired a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the 1st quarter valued at $35,000. Institutional investors own 87.86% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at UnitedHealth Group

In other news, EVP Erin Mcsweeney sold 1,236 shares of the firm’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 transaction of $597,581.28. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly 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 accessible through this hyperlink. In other 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 completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 32,289 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,977,233.31. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Erin Mcsweeney sold 1,236 shares of UnitedHealth Group stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 9,364 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,527,306.72. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.35% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently issued reports on UNH. Piper Sandler decreased their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $584.00 to $581.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 17th. Bank of America restated a “buy” rating and set a $675.00 price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Thursday, March 7th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating and set a $591.00 price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Friday, January 19th. 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 price objective for the company. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $596.00 target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Thursday, February 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, UnitedHealth Group presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $579.33.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Up 0.3 %

NYSE:UNH traded up $1.60 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $494.70. The stock had a trading volume of 3,820,008 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,274,309. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $503.10 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $518.61. The company has a market capitalization of $456.08 billion, a PE ratio of 20.75, a PEG ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 0.54. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a twelve month low of $445.68 and a twelve month high of $554.70. 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 (NYSE:UNH) last issued its earnings results on Friday, January 12th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.16 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.98 by $0.18. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 6.02% and a return on equity of 26.39%. The firm had revenue of $94.43 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $92.13 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $5.34 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 14.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 27.82 EPS for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

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

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.