Burns J W & Co. Inc. NY Buys 54 Shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)

Burns J W & Co. Inc. NY raised its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 0.4% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 14,519 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after acquiring an additional 54 shares during the period. UnitedHealth Group accounts for approximately 1.1% of Burns J W & Co. Inc. NY’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 23rd largest holding. Burns J W & Co. Inc. NY’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $7,644,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in UNH. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 100,076.4% in the fourth quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 11,823,820 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $6,268,753,000 after buying an additional 11,812,017 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter valued at $5,210,004,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 1,682.4% in the first quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 2,691,542 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $1,372,606,000 after purchasing an additional 2,540,538 shares during the period. Barclays PLC lifted its position in UnitedHealth Group by 143.4% during the second quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 3,494,100 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $1,679,401,000 after purchasing an additional 2,058,829 shares during the period. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 13.8% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 15,635,038 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $8,289,386,000 after buying an additional 1,893,192 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 87.86% of the company’s stock.

UnitedHealth Group Trading Up 0.3 %

UNH traded up $1.60 during trading on Friday, hitting $494.70. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 3,820,008 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,274,309. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $502.66 and its 200-day moving average price is $518.44. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a twelve month low of $445.68 and a twelve month high of $554.70. The firm has a market capitalization of $456.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.75, a PEG ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 0.54.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 12th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.16 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.98 by $0.18. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 26.39% and a net margin of 6.02%. The firm had revenue of $94.43 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $92.13 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $5.34 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.1% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 27.82 EPS for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 19th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 11th were paid a $1.88 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 8th. This represents a $7.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.52%. UnitedHealth Group’s payout ratio is presently 31.54%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other UnitedHealth Group news, EVP Erin Mcsweeney sold 1,236 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owns 9,364 shares in the company, valued at $4,527,306.72. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, CAO Thomas E. Roos sold 858 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 32,289 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,977,233.31. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Erin Mcsweeney sold 1,236 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $483.48, for a total value of $597,581.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 9,364 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,527,306.72. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.35% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have commented on UNH shares. Erste Group Bank restated a “hold” rating on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Wednesday, March 13th. Piper Sandler reduced their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $584.00 to $581.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 17th. HSBC restated a “reduce” rating and issued a $480.00 price target (down from $550.00) on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Monday, December 18th. Barclays began coverage on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $551.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Bank of America reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $675.00 price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Thursday, March 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $579.33.

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.