Vestcor Inc Has $27.31 Million Holdings in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)

Vestcor Inc cut its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 2.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 53,990 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after selling 1,297 shares during the period. UnitedHealth Group makes up approximately 0.9% of Vestcor Inc’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 14th largest holding. Vestcor Inc’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $27,311,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in UNH. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. boosted its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 14.1% during the fourth quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 28,360 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $14,346,000 after buying an additional 3,507 shares during the period. Rakuten Securities Inc. boosted its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 298.5% during the fourth quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 542 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $274,000 after buying an additional 406 shares during the period. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. boosted its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 67,950 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $34,373,000 after buying an additional 315 shares during the period. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. acquired a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the fourth quarter worth about $298,000. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 12,598 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $6,373,000 after buying an additional 67 shares during the period. 87.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

UnitedHealth Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE UNH opened at $481.18 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $440.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 0.62. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 1-year low of $436.38 and a 1-year 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. The business’s 50 day moving average is $512.33 and its 200-day moving average is $551.50.

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 analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.74 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $100.81 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $101.60 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 26.69% and a net margin of 3.60%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $5.83 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 earnings per share for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 18th. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 1.75%. UnitedHealth Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 54.19%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UNH has been the topic of several analyst reports. StockNews.com upgraded UnitedHealth Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $694.00 to $660.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Stephens upped their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $605.00 to $675.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $700.00 target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, HSBC upgraded UnitedHealth Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $595.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $629.32.

Insider Buying and Selling at UnitedHealth Group

In other UnitedHealth Group news, Director Timothy Patrick Flynn bought 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 purchase, the director now directly owns 4,500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,302,065. This represents a 28.57 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

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.