Rockingstone Advisors LLC Grows Stock Position in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)

Rockingstone Advisors LLC grew its position in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 426.4% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 2,616 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,119 shares during the period. Rockingstone Advisors LLC’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $1,323,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Kathleen S. Wright Associates Inc. bought a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates grew its position in UnitedHealth Group by 152.4% in the 3rd quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates now owns 53 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 32 shares during the last quarter. West Financial Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the third quarter worth $32,000. Quarry LP grew its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 132.1% in the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 65 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. Finally, RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new stake in UnitedHealth Group during the 3rd quarter valued at about $37,000. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

UnitedHealth Group Trading Down 0.1 %

Shares of UnitedHealth Group stock opened at $543.21 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $499.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.39, a PEG ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.62. 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 Incorporated has a 12-month low of $436.38 and a 12-month high of $630.73. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $554.45 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $563.12.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 15th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $7.15 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $7.00 by $0.15. The business had revenue of $100.82 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 quarter in the previous year, the business earned $6.56 EPS. Analysts predict that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 27.6 EPS for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 9th were paid a dividend of $2.10 per share. This represents a $8.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.55%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 9th. UnitedHealth Group’s payout ratio is 54.72%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently weighed in on UNH shares. Oppenheimer lifted their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $610.00 to $640.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, December 6th. Hsbc Global Res upgraded UnitedHealth Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 10th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $595.00 to $625.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $680.00 to $650.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Bank of America cut their price objective 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. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have issued a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $626.79.

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.