UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) Shares Acquired by Howard Financial Services LTD.

Howard Financial Services LTD. raised its position in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 22.1% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 498 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after buying an additional 90 shares during the quarter. Howard Financial Services LTD.’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $261,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bath Savings Trust Co increased its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 7.3% in the 1st quarter. Bath Savings Trust Co now owns 761 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $399,000 after buying an additional 52 shares during the period. Moody National Bank Trust Division boosted its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 3.6% during the 1st quarter. Moody National Bank Trust Division now owns 9,476 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $4,963,000 after purchasing an additional 331 shares in the last quarter. Agate Pass Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 3.7% during the 1st quarter. Agate Pass Investment Management LLC now owns 1,690 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $885,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 48.9% during the 1st quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 2,049 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $1,073,000 after purchasing an additional 673 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Citizens Financial Corp boosted its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 9.0% during the 1st quarter. First Citizens Financial Corp now owns 595 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $312,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. 87.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Performance

UnitedHealth Group stock opened at $298.11 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $270.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 0.56. The company has a current ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $435.12 and a 200-day moving average of $496.39. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 52 week low of $248.88 and a 52 week high of $630.73.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 17th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $7.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $7.29 by ($0.09). UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 26.69% and a net margin of 3.60%. The firm had revenue of $109.58 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $111.56 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $6.91 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UNH has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Argus lowered shares of UnitedHealth Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of UnitedHealth Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 24th. TD Securities reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $308.00 price objective (down from $520.00) on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Monday, May 19th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $521.00 to $362.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Finally, Wolfe Research decreased their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $501.00 to $390.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, seventeen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $441.87.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Stephen J. Hemsley acquired 86,700 shares of UnitedHealth Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 16th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $288.57 per share, for a total transaction of $25,019,019.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer now directly owns 679,493 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $196,081,295.01. This trade represents a 14.63% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Timothy Patrick Flynn acquired 1,533 shares of UnitedHealth Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 14th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $320.80 per share, for a total transaction of $491,786.40. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 6,033 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,935,386.40. The trade was a 34.07% 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 worth $31,607,768 over the last ninety days. 0.33% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.