Griffin Asset Management Inc. Boosts Stake in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH

Griffin Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 15.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 16,059 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after buying an additional 2,120 shares during the period. Griffin Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $5,545,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of UNH. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA acquired a new stake in UnitedHealth Group during the 2nd quarter worth $25,000. Bayforest Capital Ltd grew its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 685.7% during the first quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd now owns 55 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Sagard Holdings Management Inc. purchased a new stake in UnitedHealth Group during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Islay Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Riggs Asset Managment Co. Inc. raised its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 69.4% during the second quarter. Riggs Asset Managment Co. Inc. now owns 105 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. 87.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have issued reports on UNH shares. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $352.00 to $386.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 9th. Leerink Partners set a $410.00 price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $433.00 to $440.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $325.00 to $395.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, September 12th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded UnitedHealth Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $333.00 target price for the company. in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. Seventeen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $385.54.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Up 1.3%

Shares of NYSE UNH opened at $331.76 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.82. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $333.71 and its two-hundred day moving average is $318.99. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 12-month low of $234.60 and a 12-month high of $606.36. The company has a market capitalization of $300.52 billion, a PE ratio of 17.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 0.43.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 28th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $2.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.87 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $113.16 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $113.19 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 19.23% and a net margin of 4.04%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 12.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $7.15 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 16th. Investors of record on Monday, December 8th were paid a $2.21 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 8th. This represents a $8.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.7%. UnitedHealth Group’s payout ratio is presently 46.14%.

UnitedHealth Group Profile

UnitedHealth Group Inc is a diversified health care company headquartered in Minnetonka, Minnesota, that operates two primary business platforms: UnitedHealthcare and Optum. Founded in 1977, the company provides a broad range of health benefits and health care services to individuals, employers, governmental entities and other organizations. Its operations span commercial employer-sponsored plans, individual and Medicare and Medicaid programs, and services for customers and health systems in the United States and selected international markets.

UnitedHealthcare is the company’s benefits business, administering health plans and networks, managing provider relationships, and offering coverage products for employers, individuals, and government-sponsored programs.