Private Trust Co. NA Cuts Stock Position in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)

Private Trust Co. NA reduced its holdings in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 0.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 11,680 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after selling 63 shares during the quarter. UnitedHealth Group comprises 0.7% of Private Trust Co. NA’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 19th largest position. Private Trust Co. NA’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $6,149,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Robbins Farley bought a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Richelieu Gestion SA acquired a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. CGC Financial Services LLC raised its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 1,000.0% during the 4th quarter. CGC Financial Services LLC now owns 55 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the period. NewSquare Capital LLC increased its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 340.0% in the 3rd quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 66 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. Finally, LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA lifted its position in UnitedHealth Group by 148.1% in the fourth quarter. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA now owns 67 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.86% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

UNH has been the subject of a number of research reports. Bank of America reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $675.00 target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Thursday, March 7th. Barclays assumed coverage on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $551.00 price objective on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $596.00 price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Thursday, February 29th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $618.00 to $584.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $591.00 price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Thursday. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, UnitedHealth Group has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $578.62.

UnitedHealth Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:UNH traded up $1.00 during trading on Friday, hitting $456.38. 1,252,571 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,172,431. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The company has a market capitalization of $420.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 0.54. The business’s 50 day moving average is $499.06 and its 200-day moving average is $518.08. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 1-year low of $445.68 and a 1-year high of $554.70.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 12th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.98 by $0.18. The company had revenue of $94.43 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $92.13 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 6.02% and a return on equity of 26.39%. The business’s revenue was up 14.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $5.34 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 27.78 earnings per share for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 19th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 11th were paid a $1.88 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 8th. This represents a $7.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.65%. UnitedHealth Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 31.54%.

Insider Activity at UnitedHealth Group

In related news, EVP Erin Mcsweeney sold 1,236 shares of UnitedHealth Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $483.48, for a total value of $597,581.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 9,364 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,527,306.72. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, CAO Thomas E. Roos sold 858 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $525.79, for a total value of $451,127.82. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 32,289 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,977,233.31. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Erin Mcsweeney sold 1,236 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $483.48, for a total transaction of $597,581.28. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 9,364 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,527,306.72. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.35% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.