Horizon Investment Services LLC Sells 872 Shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)

Horizon Investment Services LLC decreased its stake in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 17.1% during the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 4,236 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after selling 872 shares during the period. Horizon Investment Services LLC’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $2,158,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of UNH. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 4,468 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $2,352,000 after acquiring an additional 85 shares during the period. Aveo Capital Partners LLC increased its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 23.8% in the fourth quarter. Aveo Capital Partners LLC now owns 2,164 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $1,139,000 after purchasing an additional 416 shares during the last quarter. 9258 Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 7.3% in the fourth quarter. 9258 Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,273 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $2,250,000 after purchasing an additional 290 shares during the last quarter. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 80.9% in the fourth quarter. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC now owns 6,220 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $3,275,000 after acquiring an additional 2,782 shares in the last quarter. Finally, TimesSquare Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the fourth quarter worth about $500,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.86% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at UnitedHealth Group

In other UnitedHealth Group news, CAO Thomas E. Roos sold 2,851 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the chief accounting officer now 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 the SEC website. In other UnitedHealth Group news, EVP Erin Mcsweeney sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the executive vice president now owns 7,785 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,507,748.55. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CAO Thomas E. Roos sold 2,851 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, 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 insiders.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Performance

NYSE:UNH opened at $595.50 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $557.22 and its 200 day simple moving average is $514.62. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a twelve month low of $436.38 and a twelve month high of $607.94. The firm has a market capitalization of $549.90 billion, a PE ratio of 36.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 16th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.66 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $98.86 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $98.73 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 26.55% and a net margin of 3.66%. UnitedHealth Group’s quarterly revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $6.14 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 27.67 EPS for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 24th. Investors of record on Monday, September 16th will be given a dividend of $2.10 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 16th. This represents a $8.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.41%. UnitedHealth Group’s payout ratio is 51.34%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have issued reports on UNH. Argus increased their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $570.00 to $600.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $546.00 to $559.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, May 30th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $525.00 to $630.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. TD Cowen increased their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $546.00 to $601.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. Finally, StockNews.com raised UnitedHealth Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 30th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average 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.