UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) Shares Sold by Provident Trust Co.

Provident Trust Co. trimmed its stake in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 0.7% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 588,041 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after selling 4,344 shares during the quarter. UnitedHealth Group comprises approximately 6.3% of Provident Trust Co.’s portfolio, making the stock its 7th biggest position. Provident Trust Co.’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $309,586,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in UNH. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its position in UnitedHealth Group by 2.1% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 25,220,234 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $12,715,790,000 after acquiring an additional 527,526 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp lifted its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 3.6% during the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 9,787,768 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $4,934,895,000 after purchasing an additional 341,749 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 2.2% during the third quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 8,242,282 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $4,155,676,000 after purchasing an additional 180,331 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 0.5% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 5,843,207 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $2,937,976,000 after purchasing an additional 27,127 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sanders Capital LLC lifted its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 6.5% during the third quarter. Sanders Capital LLC now owns 5,757,410 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $2,902,829,000 after purchasing an additional 352,710 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.86% of the company’s stock.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Up 0.3 %

Shares of UnitedHealth Group stock traded up $1.49 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $495.35. 2,727,016 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,623,667. The company has a 50 day moving average of $485.84 and a two-hundred day moving average of $514.21. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $436.38 and a fifty-two week high of $554.70. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The stock has a market cap of $455.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.28, a P/E/G ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 0.54.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 16th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.91 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.63 by $0.28. The company had revenue of $99.80 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $99.23 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 4.05% and a return on equity of 26.50%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $6.26 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 27.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 19th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 11th were issued a $1.88 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 8th. This represents a $7.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.52%. UnitedHealth Group’s payout ratio is 45.97%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently commented on UNH shares. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $618.00 to $584.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 5th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $591.00 price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $600.00 to $525.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 8th. Barclays boosted their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $534.00 to $560.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 17th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada cut their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $596.00 to $555.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 17th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $570.05.

Insider Activity

In other UnitedHealth Group news, CAO Thomas E. Roos sold 858 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $525.79, for a total value of $451,127.82. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 32,289 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,977,233.31. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, EVP Erin Mcsweeney sold 1,236 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $483.48, for a total transaction of $597,581.28. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 9,364 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,527,306.72. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CAO Thomas E. Roos sold 858 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $525.79, for a total transaction of $451,127.82. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 32,289 shares in the company, valued at $16,977,233.31. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.35% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.