Avitas Wealth Management LLC Grows Holdings in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)

Avitas Wealth Management LLC raised its position in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH – Get Rating) by 0.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 17,837 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after purchasing an additional 31 shares during the period. UnitedHealth Group accounts for approximately 2.0% of Avitas Wealth Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 8th largest position. Avitas Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $9,457,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Apella Capital LLC boosted its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 41.1% during the 4th quarter. Apella Capital LLC now owns 852 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $452,000 after purchasing an additional 248 shares in the last quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in UnitedHealth Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $10,909,000. Single Point Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 5.1% in the 4th quarter. Single Point Partners LLC now owns 1,016 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $539,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. Align Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter valued at $43,000. Finally, Value Partners Investments Inc. lifted its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Value Partners Investments Inc. now owns 13,489 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $7,154,000 after buying an additional 165 shares in the last quarter. 86.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

UnitedHealth Group Trading Down 0.5 %

Shares of UNH stock opened at $469.50 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $483.26 and a 200-day moving average of $510.78. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 12-month low of $449.70 and a 12-month high of $558.10. The firm has a market cap of $437.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.16, a PEG ratio of 1.30 and a beta of 0.69.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH – Get Rating) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 13th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $5.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.17 by $0.17. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 6.21% and a return on equity of 27.04%. The company had revenue of $82.79 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $82.53 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $4.48 EPS. UnitedHealth Group’s quarterly revenue was up 12.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 24.91 earnings per share for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 21st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 13th will be issued a dividend of $1.65 per share. This represents a $6.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.41%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 10th. UnitedHealth Group’s payout ratio is presently 31.15%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on UNH shares. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $605.00 price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Tuesday, February 28th. Credit Suisse Group raised their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $590.00 to $610.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 7th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $587.00 price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Wednesday, November 23rd. StockNews.com raised shares of UnitedHealth Group from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 11th. Finally, Loop Capital lifted their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $575.00 to $590.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 17th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $599.68.

About UnitedHealth Group

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UnitedHealth Group, Inc engages in the provision of health care coverage, software, and data consultancy services. It operates through the following segments: UnitedHealthcare, OptumHealth, OptumInsight, and OptumRx. The UnitedHealthcare segment utilizes Optum’s capabilities to help coordinate patient care, improve affordability of medical care, analyze cost trends, manage pharmacy benefits, work with care providers more effectively, and create a simpler consumer experience.