UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) Stock Holdings Lowered by Garrison Bradford & Associates Inc.

Garrison Bradford & Associates Inc. trimmed its position in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 0.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 33,798 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after selling 226 shares during the quarter. UnitedHealth Group accounts for approximately 17.9% of Garrison Bradford & Associates Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its biggest holding. Garrison Bradford & Associates Inc.’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $17,097,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in UNH. Howard Capital Management Group LLC purchased a new position in UnitedHealth Group during the 3rd quarter valued at $341,000. GSG Advisors LLC increased its position in UnitedHealth Group by 14.4% during the 3rd quarter. GSG Advisors LLC now owns 746 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $435,000 after purchasing an additional 94 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 11.3% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,778,636 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $1,039,933,000 after buying an additional 180,479 shares in the last quarter. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the 3rd quarter valued at $91,000. Finally, AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc boosted its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc now owns 84,382 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $49,323,000 after buying an additional 769 shares in the last quarter. 87.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

UnitedHealth Group Trading Up 1.2 %

UnitedHealth Group stock opened at $493.35 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $513.78 and a 200 day moving average of $553.57. The firm has a market capitalization of $451.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.83, a P/E/G ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 0.62. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 12-month low of $436.38 and a 12-month high of $630.73. The company has a current ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last released its 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%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $5.83 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 earnings per share for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 18th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be paid a $2.10 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $8.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.70%. UnitedHealth Group’s payout ratio is 54.19%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently commented on UNH shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $595.00 to $625.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $655.00 to $642.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $700.00 price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Oppenheimer upped their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $610.00 to $640.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, December 6th. Finally, Piper Sandler dropped their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $605.00 to $600.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 2nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, UnitedHealth Group has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $629.32.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other UnitedHealth Group news, Director Timothy Patrick Flynn purchased 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 17th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $511.57 per share, for a total transaction of $511,570.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 4,500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,302,065. This trade represents a 28.57 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.33% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.