Sienna Gestion Buys 2,448 Shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH

Sienna Gestion raised its holdings in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 10.0% in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 26,813 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,448 shares during the quarter. Sienna Gestion’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $7,637,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bayforest Capital Ltd increased its position in UnitedHealth Group by 685.7% during the 1st quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd now owns 55 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 416.7% during the first quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd now owns 62 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the period. Nova Wealth Management Inc. increased its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 339.1% during the first quarter. Nova Wealth Management Inc. now owns 101 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $53,000 after buying an additional 78 shares during the period. Anderson Financial Strategies LLC acquired a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the first quarter worth $61,000. Finally, Hughes Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in UnitedHealth Group in the first quarter worth $64,000. Institutional investors own 87.86% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Robert W. Baird reaffirmed an “underperform” rating and issued a $198.00 price objective (down from $312.00) on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. Oppenheimer decreased their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $400.00 to $325.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Tuesday, October 14th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $406.00 price target on the stock. Baird R W cut shares of UnitedHealth Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of UnitedHealth Group from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Friday, October 24th. Eighteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $397.12.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Down 1.0%

NYSE:UNH opened at $327.68 on Thursday. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $345.17 and its 200-day moving average price is $324.09. The company has a market capitalization of $296.83 billion, a PE ratio of 17.10, a P/E/G ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.85. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 1-year low of $234.60 and a 1-year high of $630.73.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 28th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $2.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.87 by $0.05. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 4.04% and a return on equity of 19.23%. The firm had revenue of $113.16 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $113.19 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $7.15 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 12.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 23rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 15th were issued a $2.21 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 15th. This represents a $8.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.7%. UnitedHealth Group’s payout ratio is currently 46.14%.

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.