Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. Boosts Position in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)

Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 674,924 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,799 shares during the quarter. UnitedHealth Group makes up approximately 1.2% of Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings, making the stock its 9th biggest holding. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $394,615,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of UNH. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 7.2% in the 2nd quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 21,970 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $11,188,000 after acquiring an additional 1,472 shares during the period. Roman Butler Fullerton & Co. boosted its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 18.4% during the second quarter. Roman Butler Fullerton & Co. now owns 1,156 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $579,000 after purchasing an additional 180 shares in the last quarter. M&G Plc increased its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 1.4% in the 2nd quarter. M&G Plc now owns 490,926 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $249,881,000 after buying an additional 6,657 shares in the last quarter. Bbjs Financial Advisors LLC bought a new position in UnitedHealth Group during the second quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Agate Pass Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 190.9% in the second quarter. Agate Pass Investment Management LLC now owns 1,446 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $736,000 after acquiring an additional 949 shares in the last quarter. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

UnitedHealth Group Price Performance

NYSE:UNH opened at $549.62 on Monday. 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 Incorporated has a 12-month low of $436.38 and a 12-month high of $630.73. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $586.84 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $559.07. The firm has a market capitalization of $505.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.81, a P/E/G ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 0.58.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 15th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $7.15 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $7.00 by $0.15. The firm had revenue of $100.82 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $99.14 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 3.63% and a return on equity of 26.37%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 9.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $6.56 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 27.63 earnings per share for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 17th. Investors of record on Monday, December 9th will be issued a dividend of $2.10 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 9th. This represents a $8.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.53%. UnitedHealth Group’s payout ratio is currently 54.72%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently issued reports on UNH. Truist Financial reissued a “buy” rating and set a $625.00 target price (down from $640.00) on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Oppenheimer raised their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $610.00 to $640.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $615.00 to $595.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. KeyCorp started coverage on UnitedHealth Group in a report on Friday, October 11th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $675.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Stephens upped their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $605.00 to $675.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $626.84.

UnitedHealth Group 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.