Argus Investors Counsel Inc. Sells 218 Shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)

Argus Investors Counsel Inc. trimmed its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 12.3% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,552 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after selling 218 shares during the period. Argus Investors Counsel Inc.’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $790,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Delos Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 757.1% during the first quarter. Delos Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 60 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 53 shares during the period. True Wealth Design LLC purchased a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Bbjs Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in UnitedHealth Group in the second quarter worth $31,000. Signature Resources Capital Management LLC lifted its position in UnitedHealth Group by 40.0% during the second quarter. Signature Resources Capital Management LLC now owns 63 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 18 shares during the period. Finally, Red Tortoise LLC grew its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 45.1% in the 1st quarter. Red Tortoise LLC now owns 74 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 23 shares during the period. 87.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

UnitedHealth Group Price Performance

NYSE UNH traded down $2.56 on Wednesday, reaching $578.09. The company had a trading volume of 2,844,357 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,186,487. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $534.45 and its 200 day moving average price is $508.91. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 12 month low of $436.38 and a 12 month high of $591.54. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. The stock has a market capitalization of $533.82 billion, a PE ratio of 35.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 0.59.

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

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Barclays raised their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $560.00 to $604.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $597.00 to $640.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded UnitedHealth Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the company from $481.00 to $647.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. StockNews.com raised shares of UnitedHealth Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Truist Financial raised their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $600.00 to $640.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $614.17.

Insider Activity

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