Ardevora Asset Management LLP Has $70.90 Million Stock Position in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)

Ardevora Asset Management LLP decreased its holdings in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 15.1% in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 147,512 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after selling 26,197 shares during the quarter. UnitedHealth Group comprises approximately 1.7% of Ardevora Asset Management LLP’s portfolio, making the stock its 9th biggest position. Ardevora Asset Management LLP’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $70,900,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Chelsea Counsel Co. bought a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. 25 LLC purchased a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the 1st quarter worth about $28,000. Cascade Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in UnitedHealth Group during the 1st quarter valued at about $28,000. Freedom Wealth Alliance LLC bought a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Kalos Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the 1st quarter worth approximately $34,000. 85.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

UNH has been the topic of several analyst reports. StockNews.com began coverage on UnitedHealth Group in a report on Thursday, August 17th. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $527.00 to $532.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, July 17th. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of UnitedHealth Group from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price target for the company from $595.00 to $603.00 in a report on Tuesday, July 18th. SVB Securities lowered their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $625.00 to $560.00 in a research report on Wednesday, June 14th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $592.00 to $572.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, July 17th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, UnitedHealth Group presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $575.65.

Insider Buying and Selling at UnitedHealth Group

In related news, CEO Andrew Witty sold 4,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $506.19, for a total transaction of $2,024,760.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 78,573 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $39,772,866.87. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.35% of the company’s stock.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Performance

NYSE:UNH opened at $486.70 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $491.55 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $486.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 0.80. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 52-week low of $445.68 and a 52-week high of $558.10. The firm has a market capitalization of $450.83 billion, a PE ratio of 21.78, a P/E/G ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.66.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last released its earnings results on Friday, July 14th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.14 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.92 by $0.22. The company had revenue of $92.90 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $90.97 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 6.06% and a return on equity of 26.72%. The firm’s revenue was up 15.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $5.57 EPS. Analysts forecast that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 24.83 EPS for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 19th. Investors of record on Monday, September 11th will be paid a dividend of $1.88 per share. This represents a $7.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.55%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 8th. UnitedHealth Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 33.65%.

UnitedHealth Group Profile

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated operates as a diversified health care company in the United States. It 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.