Matrix Asset Advisors Inc. NY Decreases Position in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)

Matrix Asset Advisors Inc. NY cut its position in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 29.0% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 17,411 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after selling 7,112 shares during the period. Matrix Asset Advisors Inc. NY’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $8,808,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 137.1% in the fourth quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 4,019 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $2,033,000 after acquiring an additional 2,324 shares during the period. YHB Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. YHB Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 31,002 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $15,683,000 after acquiring an additional 178 shares during the period. Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO increased its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO now owns 7,433 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $3,760,000 after acquiring an additional 153 shares during the period. Buffington Mohr McNeal boosted its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Buffington Mohr McNeal now owns 1,804 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $913,000 after purchasing an additional 23 shares during the period. Finally, Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 4.9% in the fourth quarter. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 689 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $349,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares during the period. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

UnitedHealth Group Price Performance

UNH stock opened at $543.41 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 0.83. The firm has a market capitalization of $500.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.06, a PEG ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 0.62. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $541.04 and a 200-day moving average price of $564.79. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 52-week low of $436.38 and a 52-week high of $630.73.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 16th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.74 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $100.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $101.60 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 26.69% and a net margin of 3.60%. UnitedHealth Group’s quarterly revenue was up 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $5.83 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.74 EPS for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 9th were paid a dividend of $2.10 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 9th. This represents a $8.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.55%. UnitedHealth Group’s dividend payout ratio is 54.19%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UNH has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. HSBC raised UnitedHealth Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $595.00 price target on the stock in a report on Friday, January 10th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $595.00 to $625.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. Bank of America reduced their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $675.00 to $650.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Piper Sandler reduced their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $605.00 to $600.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. Finally, Oppenheimer boosted their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $610.00 to $640.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, December 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $627.74.

Insider Transactions at UnitedHealth Group

In related news, Director Timothy Patrick Flynn purchased 1,000 shares of UnitedHealth Group stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 17th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $511.57 per share, for a total transaction of $511,570.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 4,500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,302,065. The trade was a 28.57 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.33% 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.