Bellecapital International Ltd. Boosts Stock Holdings in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)

Bellecapital International Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH – Get Rating) by 8.0% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 11,614 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after buying an additional 858 shares during the period. UnitedHealth Group comprises 1.8% of Bellecapital International Ltd.’s holdings, making the stock its 17th biggest position. Bellecapital International Ltd.’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $5,866,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. TimeScale Financial Inc. boosted its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 276.9% during the 3rd quarter. TimeScale Financial Inc. now owns 49 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares during the period. Pflug Koory LLC lifted its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 160.0% during the 3rd quarter. Pflug Koory LLC now owns 52 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. Urban Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in UnitedHealth Group during the 2nd quarter valued at about $29,000. Knott David M Jr bought a new stake in UnitedHealth Group during the 2nd quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Belmont Capital LLC lifted its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 294.1% during the 3rd quarter. Belmont Capital LLC now owns 67 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. 86.31% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Performance

Shares of UNH stock traded up $1.15 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $492.75. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 239,208 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,928,426. The company has a 50 day moving average of $518.45 and a 200 day moving average of $524.08. The stock has a market cap of $460.40 billion, a PE ratio of 23.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 12-month low of $445.73 and a 12-month high of $558.10.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH – Get Rating) last posted its earnings results on Friday, January 13th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $5.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $82.79 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $82.53 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $4.48 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 12.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 24.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 13th. Investors of record on Monday, December 5th were issued a $1.65 dividend. This represents a $6.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.34%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 2nd. UnitedHealth Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 31.15%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UNH has been the subject of several recent research reports. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $588.00 to $592.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, October 17th. Loop Capital boosted their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $575.00 to $590.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 17th. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Wednesday, October 12th. They issued a “strong-buy” rating for the company. Credit Suisse Group boosted their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $590.00 to $610.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 7th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $615.00 to $617.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $599.39.

Insider Activity at UnitedHealth Group

In related news, EVP Erin Mcsweeney sold 450 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $542.30, for a total value of $244,035.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 8,736 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,737,532.80. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

UnitedHealth Group Profile

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UnitedHealth Group Incorporated operates as a diversified health care company in the United States. It 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 well-being services to individuals age 50 and older addressing their needs for preventive and acute health care services, as well as services dealing with chronic disease and other specialized issues for older individuals; Medicaid plans, children's health insurance and health care programs; health and dental benefits; and hospital and clinical services.