Baker Ellis Asset Management LLC Sells 24 Shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)

Baker Ellis Asset Management LLC lowered its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 2.4% in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 994 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after selling 24 shares during the period. Baker Ellis Asset Management LLC’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $478,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of UNH. Axiom Financial Strategies LLC bought a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the first quarter worth approximately $210,000. McGowan Group Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 8.9% during the first quarter. McGowan Group Asset Management Inc. now owns 744 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $379,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares during the period. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. raised its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 31.8% in the first quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 250,196 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $127,592,000 after buying an additional 60,300 shares in the last quarter. MAS Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 10.8% in the first quarter. MAS Advisors LLC now owns 463 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $241,000 after buying an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Western Trust Bank acquired a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the first quarter valued at approximately $875,000. Institutional investors own 85.69% of the company’s stock.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Performance

Shares of UnitedHealth Group stock opened at $542.41 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a twelve month low of $445.68 and a twelve month high of $553.00. The stock has a market cap of $501.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.54, a P/E/G ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 0.63. The company’s fifty day moving average is $514.87 and its 200 day moving average is $497.20.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, October 13th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.56 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.33 by $0.23. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 6.02% and a return on equity of 26.58%. The company had revenue of $92.36 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $91.41 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $5.79 earnings per share. UnitedHealth Group’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.2% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 24.94 EPS for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 12th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 4th will be given a dividend of $1.88 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 1st. This represents a $7.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.39%. UnitedHealth Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 32.64%.

Insider Buying and Selling at UnitedHealth Group

In other UnitedHealth Group news, EVP Erin Mcsweeney sold 4,498 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, October 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $544.28, for a total transaction of $2,448,171.44. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 9,218 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,017,173.04. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, Director Stephen J. Hemsley sold 121,515 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $540.58, for a total transaction of $65,688,578.70. Following the transaction, the director now owns 521,818 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $282,084,374.44. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Erin Mcsweeney sold 4,498 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $544.28, for a total transaction of $2,448,171.44. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 9,218 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,017,173.04. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.35% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UNH has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. TD Cowen dropped their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $562.00 to $555.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, July 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $527.00 to $532.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, July 17th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of UnitedHealth Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, October 21st. HSBC initiated coverage on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Wednesday, September 6th. They set a “hold” rating and a $540.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $572.00 to $596.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, October 16th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, UnitedHealth Group currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $578.30.

UnitedHealth Group Company 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.