Commons Capital LLC Boosts Stock Position in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)

Commons Capital LLC boosted its holdings in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 4.5% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,770 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after buying an additional 163 shares during the period. UnitedHealth Group makes up about 2.3% of Commons Capital LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 10th largest position. Commons Capital LLC’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $1,920,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of UNH. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $5,802,231,000. Swedbank AB bought a new stake in UnitedHealth Group in the 1st quarter valued at $1,117,462,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 107.8% during the 1st quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 2,306,729 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $1,141,113,000 after acquiring an additional 1,196,758 shares during the period. Baillie Gifford & Co. increased its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 1,125.4% in the second quarter. Baillie Gifford & Co. now owns 894,006 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $455,281,000 after acquiring an additional 821,050 shares during the period. Finally, Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado lifted its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 3,464.9% during the fourth quarter. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado now owns 825,311 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $434,501,000 after purchasing an additional 802,160 shares during the period. 87.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Up 0.9 %

Shares of NYSE:UNH opened at $604.14 on Thursday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $555.04 and a 200-day moving average of $514.06. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a one year low of $436.38 and a one year high of $607.94. The stock has a market cap of $557.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.93, a P/E/G ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 0.88 and a quick ratio of 0.88.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 16th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.80 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 the consensus estimate of $98.73 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $6.14 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 27.67 earnings per share for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 24th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 16th will be issued a $2.10 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 16th. This represents a $8.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.39%. UnitedHealth Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 51.34%.

Insider Activity

In other UnitedHealth Group news, CAO Thomas E. Roos sold 2,851 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 17th. The stock was 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 directly 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 this hyperlink. In other UnitedHealth Group news, EVP Erin Mcsweeney sold 1,500 shares of UnitedHealth Group stock in a transaction dated 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,507,748.55. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CAO Thomas E. Roos sold 2,851 shares of UnitedHealth Group stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 29,501 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,812,029.88. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.33% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently commented on UNH. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $525.00 to $630.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 17th. HSBC boosted their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $580.00 to $610.00 in a research note on Thursday, July 18th. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $560.00 to $604.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of UnitedHealth Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $481.00 to $647.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. Finally, UBS Group increased their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $640.00 to $680.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 18th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $614.17.

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.