Raymond James Financial Inc. Takes Position in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)

Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 3,785,120 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock, valued at approximately $1,914,740,000. UnitedHealth Group accounts for approximately 0.7% of Raymond James Financial Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 18th largest holding. Raymond James Financial Inc. owned approximately 0.41% of UnitedHealth Group as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Promus Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the fourth quarter worth $32,000. First Business Financial Services Inc. increased its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. First Business Financial Services Inc. now owns 4,437 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $2,245,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares during the period. Dana Investment Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Dana Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 43,901 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $22,208,000 after purchasing an additional 116 shares during the period. Arizona State Retirement System increased its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 268,517 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $135,832,000 after purchasing an additional 4,620 shares during the period. Finally, Verdence Capital Advisors LLC grew its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 17,037 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $8,618,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares during the period. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

UnitedHealth Group Trading Up 0.3 %

Shares of UNH stock opened at $476.22 on Thursday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $514.58 and a 200-day moving average of $554.81. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 12-month low of $436.38 and a 12-month high of $630.73. The firm has a market cap of $438.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.72, a PEG ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 0.61.

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

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity at UnitedHealth Group

In other news, Director Timothy Patrick Flynn purchased 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 17th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $511.57 per share, with a total value of $511,570.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 4,500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,302,065. This trade represents a 28.57 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.33% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have weighed in on UNH. KeyCorp reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $650.00 price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Friday, January 17th. Truist Financial decreased their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $625.00 to $610.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 6th. StockNews.com raised shares of UnitedHealth Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $694.00 to $660.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Oppenheimer increased their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $610.00 to $640.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, December 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average 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.