Janney Montgomery Scott LLC Trims Stock Position in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)

Janney Montgomery Scott LLC lowered its holdings in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 5.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 298,817 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after selling 15,881 shares during the quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $151,160,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Sharp Financial Services LLC grew its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 11.0% in the fourth quarter. Sharp Financial Services LLC now owns 885 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $447,000 after buying an additional 88 shares in the last quarter. Phillips Wealth Planners LLC grew its position in UnitedHealth Group by 4.4% in the 4th quarter. Phillips Wealth Planners LLC now owns 2,767 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $1,441,000 after acquiring an additional 117 shares in the last quarter. Kelleher Financial Advisors boosted its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Kelleher Financial Advisors now owns 3,315 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $1,677,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the period. Marino Stram & Associates LLC increased its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 4.4% during the 4th quarter. Marino Stram & Associates LLC now owns 758 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $383,000 after buying an additional 32 shares during the period. Finally, Westside Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 16.3% in the fourth quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,210 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $1,624,000 after acquiring an additional 451 shares in the last quarter. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Down 1.1 %

UNH opened at $519.08 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $477.70 billion, a PE ratio of 33.49, a P/E/G ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.62. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $545.26 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $564.10. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 52 week low of $436.38 and a 52 week high of $630.73.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 16th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.81 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.74 by $0.07. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 3.60% and a return on equity of 26.69%. The company had revenue of $100.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $101.60 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $5.83 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts anticipate that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.75 EPS for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 9th were given a dividend of $2.10 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 9th. This represents a $8.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.62%. UnitedHealth Group’s payout ratio is currently 54.19%.

Insider Activity

In other UnitedHealth Group news, Director Timothy Patrick Flynn acquired 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 17th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $511.57 per share, for a total transaction of $511,570.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 4,500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,302,065. This represents a 28.57 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on UNH shares. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $615.00 to $610.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Hsbc Global Res upgraded shares of UnitedHealth Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Truist Financial reduced their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $625.00 to $610.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 6th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $615.00 to $595.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $700.00 price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Friday, January 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, UnitedHealth Group currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $627.74.

About UnitedHealth Group

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.