Arthur M. Cohen & Associates LLC Boosts Stake in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)

Arthur M. Cohen & Associates LLC boosted its position in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 4.6% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 2,730 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after buying an additional 120 shares during the quarter. Arthur M. Cohen & Associates LLC’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $1,592,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of UNH. Tealwood Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in UnitedHealth Group during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $2,905,000. Asset Planning Services Inc. LA ADV raised its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. Asset Planning Services Inc. LA ADV now owns 12,465 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $7,288,000 after purchasing an additional 150 shares during the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC grew its position in UnitedHealth Group by 13.7% during the 3rd quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 24,976 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $14,603,000 after purchasing an additional 3,006 shares during the last quarter. Americana Partners LLC raised its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 10.8% in the third quarter. Americana Partners LLC now owns 20,377 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $11,914,000 after buying an additional 1,984 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Concord Investment Counsel Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the first quarter valued at approximately $14,544,000. Institutional investors own 87.86% of the company’s stock.

UnitedHealth Group Price Performance

UNH stock opened at $558.49 on Tuesday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $581.37 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $542.90. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 52 week low of $436.38 and a 52 week high of $608.63. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74. The firm has a market capitalization of $515.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 0.58.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 business had revenue of $100.82 billion for 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 company’s quarterly revenue was up 9.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $6.56 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 27.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 24th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 16th were paid a $2.10 dividend. This represents a $8.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.50%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 16th. UnitedHealth Group’s payout ratio is currently 54.72%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently weighed in on UNH. Stephens decreased their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $632.00 to $605.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. KeyCorp initiated coverage on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Friday, October 11th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $675.00 price target for the company. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $525.00 to $630.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $597.00 to $640.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lowered their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $615.00 to $595.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have given a buy rating and two have 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 a consensus target price of $615.53.

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.