Congress Asset Management Co. Trims Stake in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)

Congress Asset Management Co. reduced its position in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 74.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 10,160 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after selling 28,922 shares during the quarter. Congress Asset Management Co.’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $5,139,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of UNH. Lord & Richards Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $515,000. Hickory Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $559,000. CapWealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 9.2% in the 4th quarter. CapWealth Advisors LLC now owns 833 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $421,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. WealthPlan Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 32.8% during the fourth quarter. WealthPlan Investment Management LLC now owns 1,250 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $632,000 after purchasing an additional 309 shares during the period. Finally, PUREfi Wealth LLC acquired a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the 4th quarter valued at $504,000. 87.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $595.00 to $625.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $694.00 to $660.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of UnitedHealth Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $655.00 to $642.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, KeyCorp reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $650.00 target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Friday, January 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, UnitedHealth Group presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $629.32.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Timothy Patrick Flynn purchased 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 17th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $511.57 per share, for a total transaction of $511,570.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 4,500 shares in the company, valued at $2,302,065. The trade was a 28.57 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.33% of the stock is owned by insiders.

UnitedHealth Group Price Performance

UNH opened at $523.48 on Tuesday. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 1 year low of $436.38 and a 1 year high of $630.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 0.83. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $523.11 and its 200 day simple moving average is $563.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $481.75 billion, a PE ratio of 33.77, a P/E/G ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 0.61.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 16th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.81 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.74 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $100.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $101.60 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 26.69% and a net margin of 3.60%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $5.83 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 EPS for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group 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.