UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) Shares Purchased by Baron Wealth Management LLC

Baron Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 32.1% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 1,923 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after acquiring an additional 467 shares during the quarter. UnitedHealth Group accounts for 0.5% of Baron Wealth Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 17th biggest position. Baron Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $1,124,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of UNH. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 20.6% in the first quarter. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 10,867 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $5,376,000 after buying an additional 1,857 shares in the last quarter. Quent Capital LLC increased its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 5.5% during the first quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 4,196 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $2,076,000 after purchasing an additional 217 shares in the last quarter. Ossiam increased its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 1.9% during the first quarter. Ossiam now owns 120,403 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $59,563,000 after purchasing an additional 2,199 shares in the last quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the first quarter worth approximately $1,015,000. Finally, Payden & Rygel Investment Group purchased a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the first quarter worth approximately $15,029,000. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the company. StockNews.com raised UnitedHealth Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. KeyCorp assumed coverage on UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Friday, October 11th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $675.00 price objective on the stock. Stephens lowered their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $632.00 to $605.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. HSBC lowered UnitedHealth Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, UBS Group decreased their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $680.00 to $650.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $615.53.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Down 0.4 %

UnitedHealth Group stock opened at $589.65 on Tuesday. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a twelve month low of $436.38 and a twelve month high of $630.73. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $582.75 and a two-hundred day moving average of $550.66. The company has a current ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74. The stock has a market capitalization of $542.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.41, a PEG ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 0.58.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 15th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $7.15 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $7.00 by $0.15. The business had revenue of $100.82 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $99.14 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 26.37% and a net margin of 3.63%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 9.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $6.56 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 27.6 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, December 17th. Investors of record on Monday, December 9th will be paid a $2.10 dividend. This represents a $8.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.42%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 9th. UnitedHealth Group’s payout ratio is currently 54.72%.

About UnitedHealth Group

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.