Gilliland Jeter Wealth Management LLC Reduces Stake in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)

Gilliland Jeter Wealth Management LLC lessened its position in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 1.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,319 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after selling 76 shares during the quarter. Gilliland Jeter Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $2,185,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in UNH. Kathleen S. Wright Associates Inc. purchased a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. AlphaMark Advisors LLC bought a new position in UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. West Financial Advisors LLC bought a new position in UnitedHealth Group during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $32,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the 3rd quarter worth $37,000. Finally, Friedenthal Financial bought a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the 3rd quarter worth $51,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.86% of the company’s stock.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Down 1.9 %

UnitedHealth Group stock opened at $529.71 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $532.43 and a two-hundred day moving average of $564.77. 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 firm has a market cap of $487.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.17, a P/E/G ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 0.61. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a twelve month low of $436.38 and a twelve month high of $630.73.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 16th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.81 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.74 by $0.07. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 26.69% and a net margin of 3.60%. The company had revenue of $100.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $101.60 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $5.83 earnings per share. UnitedHealth Group’s revenue was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Timothy Patrick Flynn bought 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 17th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $511.57 per share, with a total value of $511,570.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 4,500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,302,065. The trade was a 28.57 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have commented on UNH shares. HSBC raised UnitedHealth Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $595.00 target price for the company in a report on Friday, January 10th. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $615.00 to $610.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. KeyCorp reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $650.00 price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Friday, January 17th. Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $610.00 to $640.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, December 6th. Finally, Hsbc Global Res upgraded UnitedHealth Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $629.32.

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.