Milestone Asset Management LLC Reduces Holdings in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)

Milestone Asset Management LLC trimmed its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 28.4% in the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 9,423 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after selling 3,737 shares during the quarter. UnitedHealth Group accounts for 1.2% of Milestone Asset Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 15th largest holding. Milestone Asset Management LLC’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $4,799,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of UNH. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the fourth quarter valued at $5,802,231,000. Swedbank AB purchased a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the first quarter valued at $1,117,462,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 107.8% in the first quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 2,306,729 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $1,141,113,000 after acquiring an additional 1,196,758 shares during the period. Jennison Associates LLC lifted its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 49.3% in the fourth quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 3,617,813 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $1,904,670,000 after acquiring an additional 1,195,352 shares during the period. Finally, California Public Employees Retirement System lifted its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 35.9% in the fourth quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 3,090,986 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $1,627,311,000 after acquiring an additional 815,822 shares during the period. 87.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other UnitedHealth Group news, CAO Thomas E. Roos sold 2,851 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $569.88, for a total value of $1,624,727.88. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 29,501 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,812,029.88. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, EVP Erin Mcsweeney sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $579.03, for a total transaction of $868,545.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 7,785 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,507,748.55. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CAO Thomas E. Roos sold 2,851 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $569.88, for a total value of $1,624,727.88. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 29,501 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,812,029.88. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Performance

NYSE UNH traded up $1.21 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $578.89. The stock had a trading volume of 1,847,856 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,213,230. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $529.38 and a 200 day moving average of $507.42. The stock has a market cap of $532.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 0.59. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 52-week low of $436.38 and a 52-week high of $591.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 0.88.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 16th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.80 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.66 by $0.14. The firm had revenue of $98.86 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $98.73 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 26.55% and a net margin of 3.66%. UnitedHealth Group’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $6.14 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 27.69 earnings per share for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 24th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 16th will be given a $2.10 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 16th. This represents a $8.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.45%. UnitedHealth Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 51.34%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. HSBC upped their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $580.00 to $610.00 in a research note on Thursday, July 18th. TD Cowen upped their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $546.00 to $601.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $591.00 target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Monday. Argus boosted their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $570.00 to $600.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $640.00 to $680.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 18th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $614.17.

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.