UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) Stock Holdings Increased by New England Research & Management Inc.

New England Research & Management Inc. lifted its stake in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 464.8% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 5,930 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,880 shares during the quarter. UnitedHealth Group accounts for 1.4% of New England Research & Management Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 13th largest position. New England Research & Management Inc.’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $2,934,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 83,860,515 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $44,150,045,000 after buying an additional 250,291 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 527,526 shares during the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors grew its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 15,122,203 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $7,961,369,000 after purchasing an additional 324,733 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Investors grew its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 4.8% during the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 11,860,985 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $6,244,158,000 after purchasing an additional 542,424 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new position in UnitedHealth Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $5,802,231,000. 87.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:UNH opened at $509.58 on Friday. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a twelve month low of $436.38 and a twelve month high of $554.70. The firm has a market cap of $469.01 billion, a PE ratio of 31.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 0.85. The business has a fifty day moving average of $498.34 and a 200-day moving average of $502.27.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 16th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.91 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.63 by $0.28. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 26.50% and a net margin of 4.05%. The company had revenue of $99.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $99.23 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $6.26 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 27.57 EPS for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 25th. Investors of record on Monday, June 17th were given a $2.10 dividend. This represents a $8.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.65%. This is a positive change from UnitedHealth Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.88. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 17th. UnitedHealth Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 51.34%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on UNH shares. Baird R W upgraded shares of UnitedHealth Group to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 30th. TD Cowen lowered their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $607.00 to $546.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $591.00 price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Wednesday, June 12th. Bank of America restated a “buy” rating and issued a $675.00 price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Thursday, March 7th. Finally, HSBC upgraded shares of UnitedHealth Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $580.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, June 5th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, UnitedHealth Group currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $579.74.

UnitedHealth Group 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.