Sheaff Brock Investment Advisors LLC Cuts Stock Holdings in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)

Sheaff Brock Investment Advisors LLC lowered its position in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 6.2% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 15,853 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after selling 1,045 shares during the period. UnitedHealth Group accounts for approximately 0.8% of Sheaff Brock Investment Advisors LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 27th biggest holding. Sheaff Brock Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $9,269,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of UNH. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 1,857 shares during the period. Quent Capital LLC increased its stake 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 acquiring an additional 217 shares during the period. 1ST Source Bank lifted its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 1.8% in the first quarter. 1ST Source Bank now owns 1,681 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $832,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares during the period. M&G Plc acquired a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the 1st quarter worth approximately $239,713,000. Finally, Mizuho Markets Cayman LP acquired a new stake in UnitedHealth Group during the first quarter worth approximately $343,000. 87.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

UnitedHealth Group Trading Down 2.1 %

NYSE UNH opened at $593.15 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $545.86 billion, a PE ratio of 38.65, a P/E/G ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 0.58. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 12 month low of $436.38 and a 12 month high of $630.73. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $582.99 and a 200 day simple moving average of $548.03. The company has a current ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 15th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $7.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.00 by $0.15. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 3.63% and a return on equity of 26.37%. The firm had revenue of $100.82 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $99.14 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $6.56 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.2% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 27.61 EPS for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The company 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.42%. UnitedHealth Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 54.72%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently issued reports on UNH shares. Stephens lowered their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $632.00 to $605.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of UnitedHealth Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $615.00 to $595.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. HSBC lowered shares of UnitedHealth Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald increased their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $591.00 to $644.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $615.53.

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.