UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) Stock Position Lowered by Candriam S.C.A.

Candriam S.C.A. lessened its position in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 23.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 379,181 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after selling 115,757 shares during the quarter. UnitedHealth Group makes up about 1.1% of Candriam S.C.A.’s holdings, making the stock its 14th biggest holding. Candriam S.C.A.’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $191,813,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in UNH. NewSquare Capital LLC acquired a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. AlphaMark Advisors LLC acquired a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Promus Capital LLC acquired a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $32,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Finally, Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $57,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.86% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at UnitedHealth Group

In related news, Director Timothy Patrick Flynn acquired 1,000 shares of the 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 transaction, the director now owns 4,500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,302,065. The trade was a 28.57 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

UnitedHealth Group Price Performance

NYSE:UNH opened at $476.22 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $438.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.72, a PEG ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 0.61. 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 has a 50-day moving average of $514.58 and a 200-day moving average of $554.81. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 52 week low of $436.38 and a 52 week high of $630.73.

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

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 18th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be given a $2.10 dividend. This represents a $8.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.76%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. UnitedHealth Group’s payout ratio is presently 54.19%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently commented on UNH. Truist Financial dropped their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $625.00 to $610.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 6th. KeyCorp restated an “overweight” rating and set a $650.00 price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Oppenheimer increased their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $610.00 to $640.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, December 6th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price objective 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. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of UnitedHealth Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $629.32.

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.