Lockerman Financial Group Inc. Acquires 29 Shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)

Lockerman Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 3.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 925 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after buying an additional 29 shares during the period. UnitedHealth Group makes up 1.1% of Lockerman Financial Group Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 24th largest holding. Lockerman Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $487,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. State Street Corp raised its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 1.7% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 46,313,751 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $22,260,241,000 after purchasing an additional 764,872 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 2.1% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 25,220,234 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $12,715,790,000 after acquiring an additional 527,526 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley boosted its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 13.8% in the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 15,635,038 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $8,289,386,000 after acquiring an additional 1,893,192 shares during the period. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 100,076.4% in the fourth quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 11,823,820 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $6,268,753,000 after purchasing an additional 11,812,017 shares during the period. Finally, Alliancebernstein L.P. increased its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 3.5% in the second quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 11,749,819 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $5,647,433,000 after acquiring an additional 399,739 shares during the last quarter. 87.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

UnitedHealth Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:UNH traded up $1.60 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $494.70. 3,805,551 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,097,774. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $503.10 and a 200-day moving average price of $518.61. The stock has a market cap of $456.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.70, a PEG ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 0.54. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a twelve month low of $445.68 and a twelve month high of $554.70.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 12th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.16 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.98 by $0.18. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 6.02% and a return on equity of 26.39%. The firm had revenue of $94.43 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $92.13 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $5.34 earnings per share. UnitedHealth Group’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts forecast that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 27.82 earnings per share for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 19th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 11th were paid a dividend of $1.88 per share. This represents a $7.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.52%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 8th. UnitedHealth Group’s payout ratio is currently 31.54%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Bank of America reissued a “buy” rating and set a $675.00 price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Thursday, March 7th. Barclays initiated coverage on UnitedHealth Group in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $551.00 price target on the stock. Piper Sandler decreased their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $584.00 to $581.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 17th. Truist Financial reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $610.00 target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Thursday, November 30th. Finally, Erste Group Bank restated a “hold” rating on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Wednesday, March 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $579.33.

Insider Activity

In other UnitedHealth Group news, EVP Erin Mcsweeney sold 1,236 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $483.48, for a total value of $597,581.28. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 9,364 shares in the company, valued at $4,527,306.72. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, EVP Erin Mcsweeney sold 1,236 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $483.48, for a total value of $597,581.28. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 9,364 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,527,306.72. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Thomas E. Roos sold 858 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $525.79, for a total value of $451,127.82. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 32,289 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,977,233.31. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.35% of the company’s stock.

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.