UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) Shares Sold by Artemis Investment Management LLP

Artemis Investment Management LLP lessened its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 65.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 21,476 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after selling 40,981 shares during the quarter. Artemis Investment Management LLP’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $10,864,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Kathleen S. Wright Associates Inc. bought a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the 3rd quarter worth about $27,000. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates raised its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 152.4% during the 3rd quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates now owns 53 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 32 shares during the period. West Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the third quarter valued at $32,000. Quarry LP grew its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 132.1% during the 2nd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 65 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Finally, RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new position in UnitedHealth Group during the third quarter worth $37,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.86% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UNH has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. StockNews.com downgraded shares of UnitedHealth Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. 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 raised 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. Oppenheimer increased their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $610.00 to $640.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, December 6th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $595.00 to $625.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $627.74.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Performance

Shares of UnitedHealth Group stock opened at $510.03 on Monday. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 52 week low of $436.38 and a 52 week high of $630.73. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $549.37 and a 200-day moving average price of $563.18. The company has a market cap of $469.38 billion, a PE ratio of 33.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.62. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 16th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.74 by $0.07. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 26.37% and a net margin of 3.63%. The business had revenue of $100.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $101.60 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $5.83 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 27.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared 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. This represents a $8.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.65%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 9th. UnitedHealth Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 54.19%.

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.