Independent Advisor Alliance Lowers Position in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)

Independent Advisor Alliance cut its stake in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 5.4% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 36,104 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after selling 2,075 shares during the quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $18,264,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Paragon Private Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 6.4% during the fourth quarter. Paragon Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,138 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $575,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares in the last quarter. Meriwether Wealth & Planning LLC bought a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $264,000. Tower Wealth Partners Inc. increased its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 6.0% during the fourth quarter. Tower Wealth Partners Inc. now owns 1,099 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $556,000 after acquiring an additional 62 shares in the last quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. increased its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 213,016 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $107,757,000 after acquiring an additional 4,523 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SLT Holdings LLC bought a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $3,459,000. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at UnitedHealth Group

In other news, Director Timothy Patrick Flynn bought 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, January 17th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $511.57 per share, for a total transaction of $511,570.00. Following the completion of the purchase, 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 acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.33% of the stock is owned by insiders.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:UNH opened at $493.35 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $451.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.83, a PEG ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 0.62. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 12 month low of $436.38 and a 12 month high of $630.73. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $513.78 and its 200 day moving average is $553.39. 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 announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 16th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.81 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.74 by $0.07. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 3.60% and a return on equity of 26.69%. The firm had revenue of $100.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $101.60 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $5.83 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 EPS for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 18th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be paid a $2.10 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $8.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.70%. UnitedHealth Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 54.19%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Hsbc Global Res raised shares of UnitedHealth Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Piper Sandler lowered their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $605.00 to $600.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 2nd. Oppenheimer lifted their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $610.00 to $640.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, December 6th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $694.00 to $660.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, HSBC upgraded shares of UnitedHealth Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $595.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 10th. One investment 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price 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.