GAM Holding AG Sells 14,215 Shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)

GAM Holding AG lessened its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 31.4% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 31,059 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after selling 14,215 shares during the quarter. UnitedHealth Group comprises approximately 1.3% of GAM Holding AG’s holdings, making the stock its 17th largest position. GAM Holding AG’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $16,267,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 19,956,219 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $10,068,869,000 after acquiring an additional 319,515 shares during the period. Capital International Investors lifted its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 6.2% during the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 15,616,007 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $7,899,905,000 after purchasing an additional 906,365 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in UnitedHealth Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $6,375,744,000. Northern Trust Corp lifted its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 12.5% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 9,503,671 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $4,807,527,000 after buying an additional 1,058,488 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. grew its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 10.7% in the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 8,923,770 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $4,514,178,000 after acquiring an additional 861,854 shares during the last quarter. 87.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Performance

NYSE:UNH opened at $302.04 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $273.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 0.44. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 1 year low of $248.88 and a 1 year high of $630.73. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $359.15 and a 200-day moving average of $463.79. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 17th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $7.20 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.29 by ($0.09). UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 26.29% and a net margin of 5.39%. The business had revenue of $109.58 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $111.56 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $6.91 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 24th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 16th will be given a dividend of $2.21 per share. This represents a $8.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.93%. This is a positive change from UnitedHealth Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.10. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 16th. UnitedHealth Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 37.02%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. Truist Financial reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $360.00 price target (down from $580.00) on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Monday, May 19th. Hsbc Global Res cut shares of UnitedHealth Group from a “hold” rating to a “moderate sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $521.00 to $362.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Wolfe Research decreased their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $501.00 to $390.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. Finally, KeyCorp reduced their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $450.00 to $400.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, June 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $427.09.

Insider Activity at UnitedHealth Group

In other news, CFO John F. Rex purchased 17,175 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 16th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $291.12 per share, for a total transaction of $4,999,986.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief financial officer now directly owns 203,796 shares in the company, valued at approximately $59,329,091.52. The trade was a 9.20% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Stephen J. Hemsley bought 86,700 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 16th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $288.57 per share, for a total transaction of $25,019,019.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 679,493 shares in the company, valued at approximately $196,081,295.01. This trade represents a 14.63% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders purchased a total of 109,408 shares of company stock valued at $31,607,768 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

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.