Associated Banc Corp Sells 879 Shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)

Associated Banc Corp cut its stake in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 1.5% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 59,478 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after selling 879 shares during the quarter. UnitedHealth Group comprises about 1.0% of Associated Banc Corp’s portfolio, making the stock its 26th biggest position. Associated Banc Corp’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $34,776,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Kathleen S. Wright Associates Inc. purchased a new position in UnitedHealth Group during the 3rd quarter worth $27,000. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates grew its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 152.4% during the third quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates now owns 53 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 32 shares during the last quarter. Macroview Investment Management LLC raised its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 671.4% in the 2nd quarter. Macroview Investment Management LLC now owns 54 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 47 shares during the last quarter. West Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the third quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Bbjs Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in UnitedHealth Group during the second quarter valued at $31,000. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Performance

UNH traded up $9.45 on Monday, hitting $600.32. 334,306 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,855,879. The company has a 50 day moving average of $582.63 and a 200-day moving average of $553.30. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 12-month low of $436.38 and a 12-month high of $630.73. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74. The stock has a market capitalization of $552.46 billion, a PE ratio of 38.49, a PEG ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 0.58.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, October 15th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $7.15 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.00 by $0.15. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 26.37% and a net margin of 3.63%. The company had revenue of $100.82 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $99.14 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $6.56 earnings per share. UnitedHealth Group’s quarterly revenue was up 9.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 27.6 earnings per share for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 9th will be given a dividend of $2.10 per share. This represents a $8.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.40%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 9th. UnitedHealth Group’s payout ratio is currently 54.72%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on UNH shares. Barclays cut their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $604.00 to $603.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Hsbc Global Res cut UnitedHealth Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. TD Cowen upped their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $601.00 to $609.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 18th. Bank of America reduced their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $675.00 to $650.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered UnitedHealth Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $615.53.

UnitedHealth Group Company 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.