UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH Position Boosted by Rakuten Securities Inc.

Rakuten Securities Inc. raised its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 83.6% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 16,194 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after acquiring an additional 7,375 shares during the period. UnitedHealth Group comprises about 2.1% of Rakuten Securities Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 8th largest holding. Rakuten Securities Inc.’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $5,592,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA bought a new stake in UnitedHealth Group in the second quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Sagard Holdings Management Inc. purchased a new stake in UnitedHealth Group during the 2nd quarter valued at $29,000. Islay Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the second quarter valued at about $31,000. Riggs Asset Managment Co. Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 69.4% during the second quarter. Riggs Asset Managment Co. Inc. now owns 105 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the period. Finally, Kilter Group LLC purchased a new position in UnitedHealth Group during the 2nd quarter valued at about $34,000. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of NYSE:UNH opened at $334.55 on Thursday. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 12-month low of $234.60 and a 12-month high of $606.36. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $329.85 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $321.87. The stock has a market capitalization of $303.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.46, a PEG ratio of 2.02 and a beta of 0.42.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 28th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $2.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.87 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $113.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $113.19 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 19.23% and a net margin of 4.04%.UnitedHealth Group’s quarterly revenue was up 12.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $7.15 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 16th. Investors of record on Monday, December 8th were issued a $2.21 dividend. This represents a $8.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 8th. UnitedHealth Group’s payout ratio is presently 46.14%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on UNH shares. UBS Group boosted their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $378.00 to $430.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. Evercore ISI upgraded shares of UnitedHealth Group to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $267.00 to $400.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 7th. Weiss Ratings raised UnitedHealth Group from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Friday, October 24th. Finally, Bank of America lifted their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $350.00 to $390.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $385.75.

About UnitedHealth Group

UnitedHealth Group Inc is a diversified health care company headquartered in Minnetonka, Minnesota, that operates two primary business platforms: UnitedHealthcare and Optum. Founded in 1977, the company provides a broad range of health benefits and health care services to individuals, employers, governmental entities and other organizations. Its operations span commercial employer-sponsored plans, individual and Medicare and Medicaid programs, and services for customers and health systems in the United States and selected international markets.

UnitedHealthcare is the company’s benefits business, administering health plans and networks, managing provider relationships, and offering coverage products for employers, individuals, and government-sponsored programs.