UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) Shares Sold by Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc.

Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. reduced its holdings in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 2.4% in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 47,435 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after selling 1,191 shares during the quarter. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $24,169,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Aveo Capital Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 23.8% during the 4th quarter. Aveo Capital Partners LLC now owns 2,164 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $1,139,000 after buying an additional 416 shares during the period. 9258 Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 7.3% during the fourth quarter. 9258 Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,273 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $2,250,000 after acquiring an additional 290 shares during the last quarter. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 80.9% in the 4th quarter. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC now owns 6,220 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $3,275,000 after purchasing an additional 2,782 shares in the last quarter. TrinityPoint Wealth LLC increased its position in UnitedHealth Group by 102.8% during the 4th quarter. TrinityPoint Wealth LLC now owns 14,774 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $7,778,000 after purchasing an additional 7,489 shares in the last quarter. Finally, ING Groep NV purchased a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $12,271,000. 87.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at UnitedHealth Group

In related news, CAO Thomas E. Roos sold 2,851 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $569.88, for a total value of $1,624,727.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 29,501 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,812,029.88. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other UnitedHealth Group news, EVP Erin Mcsweeney sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $579.03, for a total transaction of $868,545.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 7,785 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,507,748.55. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Thomas E. Roos sold 2,851 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $569.88, for a total transaction of $1,624,727.88. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 29,501 shares in the company, valued at $16,812,029.88. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on UNH. Argus upped their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $570.00 to $600.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $597.00 to $640.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $640.00 to $680.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 18th. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $560.00 to $604.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $595.00 to $615.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, UnitedHealth Group currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $614.17.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Up 1.0 %

Shares of NYSE UNH opened at $594.32 on Monday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $569.08 and its 200-day moving average is $517.70. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 1 year low of $436.38 and a 1 year high of $607.94. The firm has a market capitalization of $548.81 billion, a PE ratio of 36.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a current ratio of 0.88, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 16th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.80 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.66 by $0.14. The firm had revenue of $98.86 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $98.73 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 26.55% and a net margin of 3.66%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $6.14 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 27.69 EPS for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 24th. Investors of record on Monday, September 16th will be given a $2.10 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 16th. This represents a $8.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.41%. UnitedHealth Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 51.34%.

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.