UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) Shares Bought by Echo45 Advisors LLC

Echo45 Advisors LLC increased its holdings in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 3.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 885 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after purchasing an additional 26 shares during the quarter. UnitedHealth Group accounts for about 0.4% of Echo45 Advisors LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 24th largest holding. Echo45 Advisors LLC’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $466,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in UNH. Richelieu Gestion SA purchased a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Robbins Farley purchased a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. CGC Financial Services LLC grew its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 1,000.0% in the fourth quarter. CGC Financial Services LLC now owns 55 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC grew its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 340.0% in the third quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 66 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. Finally, LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA grew its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 148.1% in the fourth quarter. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA now owns 67 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.86% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other UnitedHealth Group news, CAO Thomas E. Roos sold 858 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $525.79, for a total value of $451,127.82. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 32,289 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,977,233.31. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other news, CAO Thomas E. Roos sold 858 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $525.79, for a total value of $451,127.82. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 32,289 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,977,233.31. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Erin Mcsweeney sold 1,236 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $483.48, for a total transaction of $597,581.28. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 9,364 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,527,306.72. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.35% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

UnitedHealth Group Trading Up 3.0 %

Shares of NYSE UNH traded up $14.17 during trading on Thursday, hitting $493.16. 8,879,564 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,525,576. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 1 year low of $436.38 and a 1 year high of $554.70. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $489.51 and a 200-day moving average price of $515.38. The firm has a market capitalization of $454.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.38, a P/E/G ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 16th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.91 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.63 by $0.28. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 4.05% and a return on equity of 26.50%. The firm had revenue of $99.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $99.23 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $6.26 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 27.75 EPS for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 19th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 11th were issued a $1.88 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 8th. This represents a $7.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.52%. UnitedHealth Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 45.97%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UNH has been the subject of several analyst reports. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $591.00 price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Oppenheimer reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $610.00 price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Wednesday, January 17th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $596.00 to $555.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Erste Group Bank restated a “hold” rating on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Wednesday, March 13th. Finally, Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and set a $605.00 price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Thursday, February 8th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $569.68.

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.