657 Shares in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) Bought by Skyline Advisors Inc.

Skyline Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 657 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock, valued at approximately $346,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the fourth quarter worth approximately $5,802,231,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its position in UnitedHealth Group by 53,573.1% during the fourth quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 2,352,490 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $1,238,515,000 after acquiring an additional 2,348,107 shares during the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC raised its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 49.3% in the 4th quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 3,617,813 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $1,904,670,000 after acquiring an additional 1,195,352 shares during the last quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System grew its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 35.9% in the fourth quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 3,090,986 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $1,627,311,000 after purchasing an additional 815,822 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado lifted its position 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 buying an additional 802,160 shares in the last quarter. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Down 1.6 %

Shares of UnitedHealth Group stock traded down $7.96 on Monday, reaching $489.16. 2,406,691 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,138,703. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 1-year low of $436.38 and a 1-year high of $554.70. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $494.22 and its 200-day moving average price is $505.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.85. The company has a market cap of $450.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 0.58.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 16th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.63 by $0.28. The business had revenue of $99.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $99.23 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 4.05% and a return on equity of 26.50%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $6.26 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 27.57 EPS for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 25th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 17th will be issued a dividend of $2.10 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 17th. This represents a $8.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.72%. This is a boost from UnitedHealth Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.88. UnitedHealth Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 45.97%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently commented on UNH shares. Bank of America reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $675.00 price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Thursday, March 7th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $545.00 to $562.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 19th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $618.00 to $584.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 5th. Robert W. Baird started coverage on UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Thursday, May 30th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $597.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Baird R W raised shares of UnitedHealth Group to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 30th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, UnitedHealth Group presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $579.74.

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.