UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) Shares Sold by Harfst & Associates Inc.

Harfst & Associates Inc. lowered its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 2.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,688 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after selling 102 shares during the quarter. UnitedHealth Group accounts for approximately 0.7% of Harfst & Associates Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 27th largest position. Harfst & Associates Inc.’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $2,468,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Mawer Investment Management Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. Mawer Investment Management Ltd. now owns 2,043,876 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $1,076,039,000 after acquiring an additional 32,726 shares in the last quarter. Northwest Financial Advisors bought a new position in UnitedHealth Group during the fourth quarter valued at about $174,000. Watershed Private Wealth LLC lifted its position in UnitedHealth Group by 18.1% in the fourth quarter. Watershed Private Wealth LLC now owns 1,208 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $636,000 after purchasing an additional 185 shares during the period. Baron Silver Stevens Financial Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 75.7% in the 4th quarter. Baron Silver Stevens Financial Advisors LLC now owns 768 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $404,000 after purchasing an additional 331 shares during the period. Finally, Findlay Park Partners LLP boosted its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 31.0% in the 4th quarter. Findlay Park Partners LLP now owns 433,026 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $227,975,000 after purchasing an additional 102,441 shares in the last quarter. 87.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Oppenheimer reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $610.00 target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Wednesday, January 17th. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $534.00 to $560.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 17th. StockNews.com cut shares of UnitedHealth Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 18th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $596.00 to $555.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 17th. Finally, Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $605.00 price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Thursday, February 8th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $570.05.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Up 1.1 %

UNH stock traded up $5.78 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $512.81. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 2,784,585 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,608,288. The company has a market cap of $471.83 billion, a PE ratio of 31.35, a P/E/G ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 0.55. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $482.28 and its 200-day moving average is $511.82. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 12 month low of $436.38 and a 12 month high of $554.70.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last posted 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 business had revenue of $99.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $99.23 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $6.26 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 27.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced 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 1.47%. UnitedHealth Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 45.97%.

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.