UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp Sells 179 Shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)

UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp trimmed its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 2.0% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 8,565 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after selling 179 shares during the quarter. UnitedHealth Group accounts for approximately 1.2% of UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp’s holdings, making the stock its 25th biggest holding. UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $4,362,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in UNH. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in UnitedHealth Group in the 4th quarter worth about $5,802,231,000. Swedbank AB purchased a new stake in UnitedHealth Group in the 1st quarter worth about $1,117,462,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its position in UnitedHealth Group by 107.8% in the 1st quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 2,306,729 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $1,141,113,000 after purchasing an additional 1,196,758 shares during the period. Baillie Gifford & Co. raised its position in UnitedHealth Group by 1,125.4% in the 2nd quarter. Baillie Gifford & Co. now owns 894,006 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $455,281,000 after purchasing an additional 821,050 shares during the period. Finally, Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado raised its position in UnitedHealth Group by 3,464.9% in the 4th quarter. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado now owns 825,311 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $434,501,000 after purchasing an additional 802,160 shares during the period. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Performance

UNH opened at $597.64 on Friday. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 52-week low of $436.38 and a 52-week high of $607.94. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $558.98 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $515.15. The company has a market cap of $551.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.53, a PEG ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 0.58.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 16th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.80 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.66 by $0.14. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 26.55% and a net margin of 3.66%. The business had revenue of $98.86 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $98.73 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $6.14 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 27.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 24th. Investors of record on Monday, September 16th will be given a dividend of $2.10 per share. This represents a $8.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.41%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 16th. UnitedHealth Group’s payout ratio is currently 51.34%.

Insider Buying and Selling at UnitedHealth Group

In other news, EVP Erin Mcsweeney sold 1,500 shares of UnitedHealth Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $579.03, for a total transaction of $868,545.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 7,785 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,507,748.55. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other UnitedHealth Group news, EVP Erin Mcsweeney sold 1,500 shares of UnitedHealth Group stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $579.03, for a total transaction of $868,545.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 7,785 shares in the company, valued at $4,507,748.55. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Thomas E. Roos sold 2,851 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $569.88, for a total value of $1,624,727.88. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 29,501 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,812,029.88. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.33% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

UNH has been the topic of a number of research reports. HSBC raised their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $580.00 to $610.00 in a research report on Thursday, July 18th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $591.00 target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Monday, August 19th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of UnitedHealth Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $481.00 to $647.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. Truist Financial increased their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $600.00 to $640.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $595.00 to $615.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $614.17.

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.