Aberdeen Group plc Has $616.90 Million Stake in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)

Aberdeen Group plc grew its stake in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 7.4% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,177,176 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after purchasing an additional 81,260 shares during the period. UnitedHealth Group comprises about 1.2% of Aberdeen Group plc’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 11th biggest position. Aberdeen Group plc owned about 0.13% of UnitedHealth Group worth $616,899,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of UNH. Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Bayforest Capital Ltd boosted its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 685.7% during the 1st quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd now owns 55 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd boosted its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 416.7% during the 1st quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd now owns 62 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. IAG Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the first quarter valued at about $42,000. Finally, Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda acquired a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $41,000. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Down 0.0%

Shares of NYSE:UNH opened at $271.79 on Friday. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 52 week low of $234.60 and a 52 week high of $630.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 0.85. The company has a market capitalization of $246.15 billion, a PE ratio of 11.78, a PEG ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $288.90 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $399.47.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $4.08 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.45 by ($0.37). UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 5.04% and a return on equity of 23.32%. The firm had revenue of $111.62 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $111.75 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $6.80 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.9% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 earnings per share for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 23rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 15th will be given a dividend of $2.21 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 15th. This represents a $8.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.3%. UnitedHealth Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 38.30%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Patrick Hugh Conway sold 589 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $305.00, for a total transaction of $179,645.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 10,398 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,171,390. This represents a 5.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.28% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UNH has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. KeyCorp reduced their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $400.00 to $350.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Oppenheimer reduced their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $400.00 to $325.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $563.00 to $374.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $521.00 to $362.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. Finally, Robert W. Baird reaffirmed an “underperform” rating and issued a $198.00 target price (down from $312.00) on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $366.52.

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.