Securian Asset Management Inc. Has $25.55 Million Holdings in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)

Securian Asset Management Inc. lessened its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 1.4% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 48,773 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after selling 689 shares during the quarter. UnitedHealth Group makes up approximately 0.8% of Securian Asset Management Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 21st largest holding. Securian Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $25,545,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Financial Management Professionals Inc. increased its position in UnitedHealth Group by 0.8% during the first quarter. Financial Management Professionals Inc. now owns 2,224 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $1,165,000 after acquiring an additional 17 shares during the period. Richwood Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Richwood Investment Advisors LLC now owns 5,247 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $2,654,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the period. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates grew its position in UnitedHealth Group by 28.6% in the first quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates now owns 90 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares during the period. Kolinsky Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Kolinsky Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,135 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $1,080,000 after purchasing an additional 21 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Retirement Planning Group LLC grew its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 5.1% during the first quarter. Retirement Planning Group LLC now owns 430 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $225,000 after buying an additional 21 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.86% of the company’s stock.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:UNH opened at $303.81 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $275.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.72, a P/E/G ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 0.45. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $314.52 and its 200 day simple moving average is $439.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.85. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $248.88 and a fifty-two week high of $630.73.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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). The firm had revenue of $109.58 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $111.56 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 5.39% and a return on equity of 26.29%. During the same period last year, the firm earned $6.91 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 earnings per share for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 24th. Investors of record on Monday, June 16th were paid a dividend of $2.21 per share. This represents a $8.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.91%. This is a boost from UnitedHealth Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.10. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 16th. UnitedHealth Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 37.02%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently commented on UNH shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $405.00 to $418.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, June 20th. Raymond James Financial cut UnitedHealth Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their price target 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. Barclays dropped their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $350.00 to $337.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 9th. Finally, Mizuho lowered their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $515.00 to $350.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $415.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Stephen J. Hemsley acquired 86,700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 16th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $288.57 per share, for a total transaction of $25,019,019.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer owned 679,493 shares in the company, valued at $196,081,295.01. This represents a 14.63% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Timothy Patrick Flynn bought 1,533 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 14th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $320.80 per share, for a total transaction of $491,786.40. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 6,033 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,935,386.40. This represents a 34.07% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have acquired 109,408 shares of company stock valued at $31,607,768. 0.28% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.