UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) Position Decreased by Harbor Investment Advisory LLC

Harbor Investment Advisory LLC reduced its position in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 2.3% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 34,821 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after selling 831 shares during the quarter. UnitedHealth Group accounts for about 1.9% of Harbor Investment Advisory LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 7th largest holding. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $20,359,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. AdvisorShares Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $416,000. Waterloo Capital L.P. boosted its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 92.2% during the fourth quarter. Waterloo Capital L.P. now owns 5,313 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $2,797,000 after purchasing an additional 2,548 shares in the last quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC bought a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the 4th quarter worth about $601,000. Veritas Investment Partners UK Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 18.5% during the fourth quarter. Veritas Investment Partners UK Ltd. now owns 493,147 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $259,796,000 after purchasing an additional 76,836 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Security National Bank raised its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Security National Bank now owns 17,185 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $9,047,000 after buying an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. 87.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, CAO Thomas E. Roos sold 2,851 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $569.88, for a total value of $1,624,727.88. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 29,501 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,812,029.88. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, CAO Thomas E. Roos sold 2,851 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $569.88, for a total transaction of $1,624,727.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 29,501 shares in the company, valued at $16,812,029.88. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Erin Mcsweeney sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $579.03, for a total transaction of $868,545.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 7,785 shares in the company, valued at $4,507,748.55. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Performance

Shares of UNH traded down $1.55 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $591.20. The company had a trading volume of 2,463,201 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,965,528. The stock has a market capitalization of $544.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.14, a PEG ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $582.24 and a two-hundred day moving average of $527.36. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 52-week low of $436.38 and a 52-week high of $607.94.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 16th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.66 by $0.14. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 3.66% and a return on equity of 26.55%. The business had revenue of $98.86 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $98.73 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $6.14 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 27.69 earnings per share for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 24th. Investors of record on Monday, September 16th were given a $2.10 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 16th. This represents a $8.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.42%. UnitedHealth Group’s payout ratio is 51.34%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently weighed in on UNH. HSBC raised their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $580.00 to $610.00 in a research report on Thursday, July 18th. Jefferies Financial Group raised UnitedHealth Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $481.00 to $647.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $595.00 to $615.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 17th. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $597.00 to $640.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 17th. Finally, Argus lifted their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $570.00 to $600.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 17th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $614.17.

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.