Inspire Trust Co. N.A. Buys 251 Shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)

Inspire Trust Co. N.A. raised its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 2.8% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 9,102 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after acquiring an additional 251 shares during the quarter. UnitedHealth Group accounts for approximately 1.5% of Inspire Trust Co. N.A.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 16th largest holding. Inspire Trust Co. N.A.’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $5,322,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in UNH. Benjamin Edwards Inc. raised its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 1,275.3% in the third quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 44,547 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $26,060,000 after buying an additional 41,308 shares during the period. Parsifal Capital Management LP bought a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the third quarter worth $21,165,000. Discipline Wealth Solutions LLC bought a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the third quarter worth about $558,000. Tealwood Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in UnitedHealth Group during the 3rd quarter valued at about $2,905,000. Finally, Kestra Investment Management LLC bought a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the 3rd quarter worth about $5,554,000. Institutional investors own 87.86% of the company’s stock.

UnitedHealth Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE UNH opened at $515.73 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 52 week low of $436.38 and a 52 week high of $630.73. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $583.29 and its 200 day moving average price is $559.30. The firm has a market cap of $474.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.60, a P/E/G ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 0.58.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 15th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $7.15 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $7.00 by $0.15. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 3.63% and a return on equity of 26.37%. The company had revenue of $100.82 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $99.14 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $6.56 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 9.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 27.61 earnings per share for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 17th. Investors of record on Monday, December 9th will be paid a $2.10 dividend. This represents a $8.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.63%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 9th. UnitedHealth Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 54.72%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have commented on UNH shares. KeyCorp started coverage on UnitedHealth Group in a report on Friday, October 11th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $675.00 price objective on the stock. Hsbc Global Res downgraded UnitedHealth Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Oppenheimer raised their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $610.00 to $640.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, December 6th. Cantor Fitzgerald lifted their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $591.00 to $644.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $603.00 to $655.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $626.84.

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.