Hardman Johnston Global Advisors LLC Raises Stock Position in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)

Hardman Johnston Global Advisors LLC lifted its position in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 13.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 71,871 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after purchasing an additional 8,289 shares during the quarter. UnitedHealth Group comprises approximately 1.5% of Hardman Johnston Global Advisors LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 21st largest holding. Hardman Johnston Global Advisors LLC’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $36,357,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. AlphaMark Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the 3rd quarter valued at $37,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the third quarter valued at $55,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new stake in UnitedHealth Group during the third quarter worth about $57,000. Finally, DecisionPoint Financial LLC raised its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 155.0% during the 4th quarter. DecisionPoint Financial LLC now owns 102 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $52,000 after buying an additional 62 shares in the last quarter. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have commented on UNH shares. Stephens lifted their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $605.00 to $675.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $655.00 to $642.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 17th. StockNews.com raised UnitedHealth Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $694.00 to $660.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, HSBC upgraded shares of 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, UnitedHealth Group presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $629.32.

Insider Activity at UnitedHealth Group

In other news, Director Timothy Patrick Flynn purchased 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 17th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $511.57 per share, for a total transaction 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 position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.33% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

UnitedHealth Group Trading Down 7.3 %

UNH opened at $465.58 on Monday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $519.27 and a 200-day moving average of $560.44. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74. The stock has a market cap of $428.46 billion, a PE ratio of 30.04, a PEG ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 0.61. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 52 week low of $436.38 and a 52 week high of $630.73.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 16th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.74 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $100.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $101.60 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 3.60% and a return on equity of 26.69%. UnitedHealth Group’s quarterly revenue was up 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $5.83 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.