ARS Wealth Advisors Group LLC Raises Stock Holdings in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)

ARS Wealth Advisors Group LLC boosted its holdings in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 0.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 27,646 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after purchasing an additional 165 shares during the quarter. UnitedHealth Group comprises 1.9% of ARS Wealth Advisors Group LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 22nd largest holding. ARS Wealth Advisors Group LLC’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $13,985,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Kathleen S. Wright Associates Inc. acquired a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the 3rd quarter valued at about $27,000. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates raised its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 152.4% during the third quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates now owns 53 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares during the last quarter. West Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the 3rd quarter valued at $32,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new position in UnitedHealth Group during the 3rd quarter worth $37,000. Finally, Quarry LP boosted its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 132.1% in the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 65 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Performance

Shares of UNH stock opened at $543.21 on Thursday. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a one year low of $436.38 and a one year high of $630.73. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $554.45 and a 200 day moving average price of $563.12. The firm has a market capitalization of $499.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 0.91.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 15th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $7.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.00 by $0.15. The firm had revenue of $100.82 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $99.14 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 26.37% and a net margin of 3.63%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 9.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $6.56 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 27.6 EPS for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 9th were given a dividend of $2.10 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 9th. This represents a $8.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.55%. UnitedHealth Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 54.72%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. KeyCorp initiated coverage on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Friday, October 11th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $675.00 price objective for the company. Barclays increased their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $603.00 to $655.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. Stephens boosted their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $605.00 to $675.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Cantor Fitzgerald raised their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $591.00 to $644.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, UBS Group lowered their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $680.00 to $650.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have assigned a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, UnitedHealth Group presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $626.79.

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.