UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) Shares Sold by Southern Capital Advisors LLC

Southern Capital Advisors LLC trimmed its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 44.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 426 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after selling 342 shares during the period. Southern Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $224,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Axiom Financial Strategies LLC bought a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the 1st quarter worth about $210,000. McGowan Group Asset Management Inc. raised its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 8.9% during the 1st quarter. McGowan Group Asset Management Inc. now owns 744 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $379,000 after buying an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. raised its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 31.8% during the 1st quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 250,196 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $127,592,000 after buying an additional 60,300 shares in the last quarter. MAS Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 10.8% in the 1st quarter. MAS Advisors LLC now owns 463 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $241,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Western Trust Bank purchased a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the first quarter worth approximately $875,000. 87.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

UnitedHealth Group Trading Up 0.3 %

Shares of UnitedHealth Group stock opened at $494.70 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $456.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $502.51 and a 200 day simple moving average of $518.82. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 12-month low of $445.68 and a 12-month high of $554.70.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last announced its earnings results on Friday, January 12th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.98 by $0.18. The business had revenue of $94.43 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $92.13 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 6.02% and a return on equity of 26.39%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $5.34 EPS. Research analysts expect that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 27.82 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 19th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 11th were given a dividend of $1.88 per share. This represents a $7.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.52%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 8th. UnitedHealth Group’s dividend payout ratio is 31.54%.

Insider Transactions at UnitedHealth Group

In other news, EVP Erin Mcsweeney sold 1,236 shares of UnitedHealth Group stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 9,364 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,527,306.72. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, EVP Erin Mcsweeney sold 1,236 shares of UnitedHealth Group stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the executive vice president now owns 9,364 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,527,306.72. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed 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 transaction of $451,127.82. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 32,289 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,977,233.31. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.35% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Bank of America reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $675.00 target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Thursday, March 7th. Oppenheimer reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $610.00 price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Wednesday, January 17th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $596.00 price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Thursday, February 29th. Barclays started coverage on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Wednesday, March 6th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $551.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $591.00 price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Friday, January 19th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $579.33.

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.