UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) Shares Sold by Bailard Inc.

Bailard Inc. cut its position in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 0.8% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 76,873 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after selling 602 shares during the quarter. UnitedHealth Group makes up 1.1% of Bailard Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest holding. Bailard Inc.’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $39,148,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC lifted its position in UnitedHealth Group by 0.8% during the 2nd quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 16,718 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $8,514,000 after acquiring an additional 134 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its position in UnitedHealth Group by 0.4% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 8,039,601 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $4,094,247,000 after acquiring an additional 35,533 shares during the period. Catalyst Financial Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 9.7% in the 2nd quarter. Catalyst Financial Partners LLC now owns 4,325 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $2,203,000 after buying an additional 382 shares during the period. Alta Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 20.5% in the 2nd quarter. Alta Capital Management LLC now owns 114,322 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $58,220,000 after buying an additional 19,420 shares during the period. Finally, IMA Advisory Services Inc. increased its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 1.4% in the 2nd quarter. IMA Advisory Services Inc. now owns 4,051 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $2,063,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. 87.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Up 0.5 %

Shares of UNH traded up $2.69 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $587.20. 1,799,987 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,151,732. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $539.79 and a 200-day moving average price of $510.36. The company has a market cap of $542.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.89, a P/E/G ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 0.59. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 1-year low of $436.38 and a 1-year high of $592.09. 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 issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 16th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.80 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.66 by $0.14. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 26.55% and a net margin of 3.66%. The company had revenue of $98.86 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $98.73 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $6.14 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 27.69 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, September 24th. Investors of record on Monday, September 16th will be paid a $2.10 dividend. This represents a $8.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.43%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 16th. UnitedHealth Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 51.34%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have weighed in on UNH shares. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $595.00 to $615.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 17th. HSBC raised their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $580.00 to $610.00 in a research report on Thursday, July 18th. Argus raised their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $570.00 to $600.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 17th. Baird R W raised UnitedHealth Group to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 30th. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $597.00 to $640.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $614.17.

Insider Buying and Selling

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