UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) is Eagle Ridge Investment Management’s 4th Largest Position

Eagle Ridge Investment Management lowered its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 0.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 68,587 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after selling 535 shares during the period. UnitedHealth Group accounts for about 3.5% of Eagle Ridge Investment Management’s holdings, making the stock its 4th biggest position. Eagle Ridge Investment Management’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $36,109,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC lifted its position in UnitedHealth Group by 2.1% during the fourth quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 16,941 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $8,919,000 after purchasing an additional 342 shares during the last quarter. Ascension Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in UnitedHealth Group during the third quarter valued at approximately $216,000. Bellecapital International Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Bellecapital International Ltd. now owns 13,823 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $7,277,000 after acquiring an additional 193 shares during the last quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 5.8% in the 3rd quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. now owns 34,297 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $17,292,000 after acquiring an additional 1,884 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rise Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 326.0% in the 4th quarter. Rise Advisors LLC now owns 213 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $112,000 after acquiring an additional 163 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.86% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on UNH. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $605.00 price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Thursday, February 8th. Erste Group Bank restated a “hold” rating on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Wednesday, March 13th. Piper Sandler increased their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $566.00 to $571.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 17th. HSBC raised shares of UnitedHealth Group from a “reduce” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $460.00 price objective for the company in a report on Thursday, April 4th. Finally, Truist Financial reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $600.00 target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Wednesday, April 17th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $570.05.

UnitedHealth Group Trading Down 1.4 %

UNH traded down $6.72 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $488.63. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,028,079 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,465,038. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The firm has a market cap of $449.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.02, a PEG ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 0.54. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $485.84 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $514.07. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 52-week low of $436.38 and a 52-week high of $554.70.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 16th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.63 by $0.28. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 26.50% and a net margin of 4.05%. The business had revenue of $99.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $99.23 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $6.26 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 27.61 earnings per share for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 19th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 11th were given a $1.88 dividend. This represents a $7.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.54%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 8th. UnitedHealth Group’s payout ratio is 45.97%.

Insider Buying and Selling at UnitedHealth Group

In related news, EVP Erin Mcsweeney sold 1,236 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $483.48, for a total transaction of $597,581.28. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 9,364 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,527,306.72. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, EVP Erin Mcsweeney sold 1,236 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 9,364 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,527,306.72. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CAO Thomas E. Roos sold 858 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 32,289 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,977,233.31. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.35% of the stock is currently owned by corporate 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.