Apexium Financial LP Has $2.48 Million Position in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)

Apexium Financial LP reduced its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 2.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,894 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after selling 127 shares during the period. Apexium Financial LP’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $2,476,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of UNH. Capital Asset Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 11.5% in the fourth quarter. Capital Asset Advisory Services LLC now owns 7,343 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $3,767,000 after purchasing an additional 760 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 34.4% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 14,013 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $7,089,000 after buying an additional 3,584 shares during the last quarter. Drive Wealth Management LLC increased its position in UnitedHealth Group by 4.6% during the fourth quarter. Drive Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,068 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $1,552,000 after acquiring an additional 135 shares during the period. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management boosted its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management now owns 6,916 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $3,498,000 after purchasing an additional 133 shares during the period. Finally, Novare Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Novare Capital Management LLC now owns 46,688 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $23,618,000 after buying an additional 451 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.86% of the company’s stock.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Performance

NYSE UNH opened at $532.26 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $489.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 0.62. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $541.04 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $564.34. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 1 year low of $436.38 and a 1 year high of $630.73. The company has a current ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 16th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 analysts’ expectations of $101.60 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $5.83 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts anticipate that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.74 EPS for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 9th were paid a dividend of $2.10 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 9th. This represents a $8.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.58%. UnitedHealth Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 54.19%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Timothy Patrick Flynn acquired 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 17th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $511.57 per share, for a total transaction of $511,570.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 4,500 shares in the company, valued at $2,302,065. This trade represents a 28.57 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently commented on UNH. TD Cowen raised their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $601.00 to $609.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 18th. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $655.00 to $642.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $615.00 to $595.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $595.00 to $625.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. Finally, Oppenheimer upped their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $610.00 to $640.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, December 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, UnitedHealth Group currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $627.74.

About UnitedHealth Group

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.