3Chopt Investment Partners LLC Invests $1.07 Million in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)

3Chopt Investment Partners LLC acquired a new stake in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 2,044 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock, valued at approximately $1,071,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. NewSquare Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Hurley Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd acquired a new position in UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Promus Capital LLC acquired a new position in UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on UNH. Argus downgraded UnitedHealth Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, April 21st. UBS Group reduced their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $400.00 to $385.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Barclays reduced their price target on UnitedHealth Group to $350.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, June 2nd. Mizuho dropped their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $515.00 to $350.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $525.00 to $355.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $415.57.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Up 2.1%

UNH opened at $308.85 on Friday. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 1-year low of $248.88 and a 1-year high of $630.73. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $336.21 and its 200 day simple moving average is $454.51. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. The stock has a market cap of $280.17 billion, a PE ratio of 12.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 0.44.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 17th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $7.20 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $7.29 by ($0.09). The firm had revenue of $109.58 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $111.56 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 26.29% and a net margin of 5.39%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $6.91 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 earnings per share for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 24th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 16th were given a dividend of $2.21 per share. This is a boost from UnitedHealth Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.10. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 16th. This represents a $8.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.86%. UnitedHealth Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 37.02%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Patrick Hugh Conway sold 589 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $305.00, for a total value of $179,645.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 10,398 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,171,390. This trade represents a 5.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Timothy Patrick Flynn acquired 1,533 shares of UnitedHealth Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 14th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $320.80 per share, for a total transaction of $491,786.40. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 6,033 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,935,386.40. This represents a 34.07% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have purchased 109,408 shares of company stock worth $31,607,768. Company insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

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.