UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) Shares Sold by Sienna Gestion

Sienna Gestion lowered its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 9.5% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 24,365 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after selling 2,571 shares during the quarter. UnitedHealth Group makes up about 1.0% of Sienna Gestion’s holdings, making the stock its 21st largest holding. Sienna Gestion’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $12,404,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 56,142.1% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 8,295,153 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $4,344,586,000 after purchasing an additional 8,280,404 shares in the last quarter. Nuveen LLC acquired a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the first quarter valued at $3,846,764,000. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 6.6% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 90,729,585 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $47,519,620,000 after acquiring an additional 5,583,343 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 36.6% in the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 8,592,718 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $4,346,712,000 after acquiring an additional 2,301,010 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp raised its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 12.5% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 9,503,671 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $4,807,527,000 after acquiring an additional 1,058,488 shares in the last quarter. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at UnitedHealth Group

In other news, CFO John F. Rex purchased 17,175 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 16th. The shares were bought at an average price of $291.12 per share, for a total transaction of $4,999,986.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief financial officer owned 203,796 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $59,329,091.52. This trade represents a 9.20% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Patrick Hugh Conway sold 589 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the chief executive officer owned 10,398 shares in the company, valued at $3,171,390. This represents a 5.36% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.28% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Performance

NYSE:UNH opened at $271.92 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.85 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. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $289.37 and a two-hundred day moving average of $401.34. The stock has a market cap of $246.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.78, a PEG ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 0.43.

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

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 23rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 15th will be paid a $2.21 dividend. This represents a $8.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.3%. UnitedHealth Group’s payout ratio is currently 38.30%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. TD Securities restated a “hold” rating and issued a $308.00 price target (down from $520.00) on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Monday, May 19th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $306.00 to $267.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, August 4th. Oppenheimer dropped their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $400.00 to $325.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Baird R W lowered UnitedHealth Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Thursday, July 31st. Finally, Mizuho dropped their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $515.00 to $350.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 16th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, UnitedHealth Group currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $366.52.

UnitedHealth Group Company 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.