Investment Research & Advisory Group Inc. Grows Stock Holdings in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)

Investment Research & Advisory Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 2.0% in the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 6,433 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after buying an additional 127 shares during the quarter. UnitedHealth Group accounts for about 1.4% of Investment Research & Advisory Group Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 22nd biggest position. Investment Research & Advisory Group Inc.’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $3,369,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of UNH. Norges Bank bought a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $6,375,744,000. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 56,142.1% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 8,295,153 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $4,344,586,000 after purchasing an additional 8,280,404 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in UnitedHealth Group in the 4th quarter worth about $1,914,740,000. Amundi lifted its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 97.2% during the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 6,069,100 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $3,183,132,000 after acquiring an additional 2,991,470 shares during the period. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 36.6% in the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 8,592,718 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $4,346,712,000 after acquiring an additional 2,301,010 shares during the period. 87.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on UNH shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $521.00 to $362.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Wall Street Zen lowered UnitedHealth Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, May 24th. Robert W. Baird cut UnitedHealth Group from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $312.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Wednesday, June 11th. Baird R W cut shares of UnitedHealth Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 11th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $525.00 to $405.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $426.52.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Down 0.6%

Shares of UNH opened at $306.90 on Friday. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 12-month low of $248.88 and a 12-month high of $630.73. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. The company has a market capitalization of $278.40 billion, a PE ratio of 12.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 0.44. The business’s 50 day moving average is $365.09 and its 200 day moving average is $465.88.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 17th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $7.20 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.29 by ($0.09). The company had revenue of $109.58 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $111.56 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 26.29% and a net margin of 5.39%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $6.91 EPS. Research analysts expect that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 24th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 16th will be issued a dividend of $2.21 per share. This represents a $8.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.88%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 16th. This is a boost from UnitedHealth Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.10. UnitedHealth Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 37.02%.

Insider Transactions at UnitedHealth Group

In related news, CFO John F. Rex bought 17,175 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 16th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $291.12 per share, for a total transaction of $4,999,986.00. Following the acquisition, the chief financial officer now owns 203,796 shares in the company, valued at $59,329,091.52. This trade represents a 9.20% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director John H. Noseworthy purchased 300 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 14th. The stock was bought at an average price of $312.16 per share, with a total value of $93,648.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 6,063 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,892,626.08. The trade was a 5.21% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have bought 109,408 shares of company stock valued at $31,607,768 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

UnitedHealth Group 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.