Washington Trust Advisors Inc. Trims Stock Holdings in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)

Washington Trust Advisors Inc. lowered its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 16.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,110 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after selling 225 shares during the period. Washington Trust Advisors Inc.’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $584,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Kraft Davis & Associates LLC grew its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 3.4% during the third quarter. Kraft Davis & Associates LLC now owns 577 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $294,000 after purchasing an additional 19 shares in the last quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC grew its position in UnitedHealth Group by 1.6% in the third quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,217 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $614,000 after acquiring an additional 19 shares in the last quarter. Secure Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. Secure Asset Management LLC now owns 2,456 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $1,238,000 after purchasing an additional 19 shares in the last quarter. Bensler LLC grew its position in UnitedHealth Group by 0.3% during the third quarter. Bensler LLC now owns 7,293 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $3,677,000 after acquiring an additional 19 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Texas Capital Bancshares Inc TX raised its position in UnitedHealth Group by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. Texas Capital Bancshares Inc TX now owns 1,695 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $855,000 after purchasing an additional 19 shares during the period. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:UNH traded up $0.74 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $493.84. 1,768,427 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,063,109. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 0.79. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $503.73 and a 200 day moving average of $518.79. The company has a market cap of $455.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.71, a P/E/G ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 0.54. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a one year low of $445.68 and a one year high of $554.70.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 12th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.98 by $0.18. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 6.02% and a return on equity of 26.39%. The business had revenue of $94.43 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $92.13 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $5.34 EPS. UnitedHealth Group’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 27.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 19th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 11th were issued a $1.88 dividend. This represents a $7.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.52%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 8th. UnitedHealth Group’s payout ratio is 31.54%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

UNH has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $596.00 target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Thursday, February 29th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $591.00 price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Friday, January 19th. Piper Sandler lowered their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $584.00 to $581.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 17th. Bank of America reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $675.00 price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Thursday, March 7th. Finally, Truist Financial reissued a “buy” rating and set a $610.00 target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Thursday, November 30th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, UnitedHealth Group has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $579.33.

Insider Buying and Selling at UnitedHealth Group

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