Earnest Partners LLC Sells 3,687 Shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)

Earnest Partners LLC reduced its position in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 18.2% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 16,534 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after selling 3,687 shares during the quarter. Earnest Partners LLC’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $8,364,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. NewSquare Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Hurley Capital LLC bought a new stake in UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. AlphaMark Advisors LLC bought a new stake in UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd bought a new stake in UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Promus Capital LLC bought a new stake in UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. 87.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

UnitedHealth Group Trading Down 1.4 %

NYSE:UNH opened at $418.20 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74. The stock has a market capitalization of $380.66 billion, a PE ratio of 26.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 0.61. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $503.28 and its 200 day moving average is $534.18. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 12 month low of $412.02 and a 12 month high of $630.73.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 17th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $7.20 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.29 by ($0.09). The company had revenue of $109.58 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $111.56 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 26.69% and a net margin of 3.60%. During the same period last year, the firm posted $6.91 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 earnings per share for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 18th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th were issued a dividend of $2.10 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 10th. This represents a $8.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.01%. UnitedHealth Group’s payout ratio is 35.18%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on UNH shares. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $664.00 to $563.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Erste Group Bank upgraded shares of UnitedHealth Group to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $642.00 to $560.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Truist Financial dropped their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $660.00 to $580.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Finally, Oppenheimer dropped their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $640.00 to $600.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have issued a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, UnitedHealth Group currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $603.05.

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.