UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) Shares Sold by Globeflex Capital L P

Globeflex Capital L P lowered its stake in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 57.8% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 2,447 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after selling 3,348 shares during the period. Globeflex Capital L P’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $1,238,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. NewSquare Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. AlphaMark Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Promus Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the fourth quarter worth $32,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the third quarter worth $37,000. Finally, Pillar Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the fourth quarter worth $40,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.86% of the company’s stock.

UnitedHealth Group Trading Up 1.5 %

NYSE UNH opened at $488.52 on Friday. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 52 week low of $436.38 and a 52 week high of $630.73. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $511.36 and a two-hundred day moving average of $550.33. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $446.85 billion, a PE ratio of 31.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 0.62.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 16th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.81 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $101.60 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $5.83 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts expect that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 18th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be given a dividend of $2.10 per share. This represents a $8.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.72%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. UnitedHealth Group’s payout ratio is currently 54.19%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Timothy Patrick Flynn bought 1,000 shares of UnitedHealth Group stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 17th. The stock was bought at an average price of $511.57 per share, for a total transaction of $511,570.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 4,500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,302,065. The trade was a 28.57 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.33% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of UnitedHealth Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating and set a $700.00 price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Friday, January 17th. HSBC upgraded shares of UnitedHealth Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $595.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $694.00 to $660.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Oppenheimer lifted their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $610.00 to $640.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, December 6th. Twenty equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $629.32.

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.