Burns J W & Co. Inc. NY Boosts Stock Holdings in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)

Burns J W & Co. Inc. NY grew its position in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 0.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 14,519 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after buying an additional 54 shares during the period. UnitedHealth Group accounts for about 1.1% of Burns J W & Co. Inc. NY’s portfolio, making the stock its 23rd largest position. Burns J W & Co. Inc. NY’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $7,644,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in UNH. Gradient Investments LLC raised its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 6.3% in the 4th quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 84,278 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $44,370,000 after acquiring an additional 5,023 shares during the last quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 20.3% during the 4th quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 462 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $243,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares during the last quarter. MBL Wealth LLC raised its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 6.8% during the 4th quarter. MBL Wealth LLC now owns 2,865 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $1,508,000 after acquiring an additional 182 shares during the period. Caprock Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Caprock Group LLC now owns 14,256 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $7,505,000 after buying an additional 194 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Global Retirement Partners LLC lifted its position in UnitedHealth Group by 2.8% in the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 15,868 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $8,238,000 after buying an additional 438 shares during the last quarter. 87.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Performance

Shares of UnitedHealth Group stock traded up $1.60 on Friday, hitting $494.70. The stock had a trading volume of 3,820,008 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,274,309. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The stock has a market cap of $456.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 0.54. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a twelve month low of $445.68 and a twelve month high of $554.70. The business’s 50 day moving average is $502.66 and its two-hundred day moving average is $518.44.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 12th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.98 by $0.18. The company had revenue of $94.43 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $92.13 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 6.02% and a return on equity of 26.39%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $5.34 earnings per share. Analysts forecast that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 27.82 EPS for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 19th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 11th were given a dividend of $1.88 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 8th. This represents a $7.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.52%. UnitedHealth Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 31.54%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Bank of America reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $675.00 target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Thursday, March 7th. HSBC restated a “reduce” rating and set a $480.00 target price (down from $550.00) on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Monday, December 18th. Oppenheimer reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $610.00 price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Wednesday, January 17th. Piper Sandler decreased their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $584.00 to $581.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 17th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $596.00 price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Thursday, February 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $579.33.

Insider Transactions at UnitedHealth Group

In other UnitedHealth Group news, EVP Erin Mcsweeney sold 1,236 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $483.48, for a total value of $597,581.28. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 9,364 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,527,306.72. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, CAO Thomas E. Roos sold 858 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $525.79, for a total transaction of $451,127.82. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 32,289 shares in the company, valued at $16,977,233.31. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Erin Mcsweeney sold 1,236 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $483.48, for a total value of $597,581.28. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 9,364 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,527,306.72. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.35% of the company’s stock.

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.