PDS Planning Inc Cuts Holdings in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)

PDS Planning Inc trimmed its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 3.6% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 4,274 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after selling 161 shares during the period. PDS Planning Inc’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $2,162,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of UNH. NewSquare Capital LLC purchased a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. AlphaMark Advisors LLC purchased a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Promus Capital LLC purchased a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $32,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Finally, Pillar Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $40,000. 87.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

UnitedHealth Group Trading Up 2.1 %

NYSE:UNH opened at $499.01 on Tuesday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $511.11 and its two-hundred day moving average is $549.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 0.83 and a quick ratio of 0.91. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 12 month low of $436.38 and a 12 month high of $630.73. The firm has a market capitalization of $456.45 billion, a PE ratio of 32.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 0.62.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 16th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $100.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $101.60 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $5.83 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 18th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be given a dividend of $2.10 per share. This represents a $8.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.68%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. UnitedHealth Group’s payout ratio is 54.19%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have commented on UNH shares. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $694.00 to $660.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. KeyCorp reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $650.00 target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Friday, January 17th. HSBC upgraded UnitedHealth Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $595.00 target price on the stock in a report on Friday, January 10th. Barclays lowered their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $655.00 to $642.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Oppenheimer increased their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $610.00 to $640.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, December 6th. Twenty investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, UnitedHealth Group presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $629.32.

Insider Transactions at UnitedHealth Group

In other news, Director Timothy Patrick Flynn acquired 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 17th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $511.57 per share, with a total value of $511,570.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 4,500 shares in the company, valued at $2,302,065. This represents a 28.57 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

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.