First Horizon Advisors Inc. Buys 319 Shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)

First Horizon Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 5.2% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 6,458 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after buying an additional 319 shares during the period. First Horizon Advisors Inc.’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $3,777,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Kathleen S. Wright Associates Inc. bought a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the third quarter worth approximately $27,000. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates boosted its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 152.4% in the 3rd quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates now owns 53 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares during the last quarter. Macroview Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 671.4% in the second quarter. Macroview Investment Management LLC now owns 54 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 47 shares during the period. West Financial Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the 3rd quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, Bbjs Financial Advisors LLC bought a new position in UnitedHealth Group during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Institutional investors own 87.86% of the company’s stock.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Up 4.1 %

Shares of NYSE UNH opened at $600.50 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 0.91. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 52 week low of $436.38 and a 52 week high of $630.73. The stock has a market capitalization of $552.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.12, a PEG ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 0.58. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $582.52 and its 200 day moving average is $551.60.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 15th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $7.15 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $7.00 by $0.15. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 3.63% and a return on equity of 26.37%. The business had revenue of $100.82 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $99.14 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $6.56 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 9.2% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 27.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 9th will be given a dividend of $2.10 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 9th. This represents a $8.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.40%. UnitedHealth Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 54.72%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently commented on the stock. StockNews.com cut shares of UnitedHealth Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Bank of America dropped their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $675.00 to $650.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. TD Cowen lifted their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $601.00 to $609.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 18th. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $604.00 to $603.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald increased their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $591.00 to $644.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, UnitedHealth Group currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $615.53.

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.