Manning & Napier Advisors LLC Acquires 248,179 Shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH

Manning & Napier Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 40.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 865,966 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after acquiring an additional 248,179 shares during the quarter. UnitedHealth Group makes up about 3.8% of Manning & Napier Advisors LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 2nd biggest holding. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC owned 0.10% of UnitedHealth Group worth $299,018,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of UNH. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA acquired a new stake in UnitedHealth Group during the second quarter worth approximately $25,000. Sagard Holdings Management Inc. bought a new stake in UnitedHealth Group in the 2nd quarter valued at $29,000. Islay Capital Management LLC bought a new position in UnitedHealth Group during the 2nd quarter worth $31,000. Riggs Asset Managment Co. Inc. boosted its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 69.4% in the second quarter. Riggs Asset Managment Co. Inc. now owns 105 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares during the period. Finally, Kilter Group LLC bought a new position in UnitedHealth Group during the second quarter worth about $34,000. Institutional investors own 87.86% of the company’s stock.

UnitedHealth Group Price Performance

UnitedHealth Group stock opened at $334.00 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $329.72 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $321.78. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 12 month low of $234.60 and a 12 month high of $606.36. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. The company has a market capitalization of $302.55 billion, a PE ratio of 17.43, a P/E/G ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 0.42.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, October 28th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $2.92 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.87 by $0.05. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 4.04% and a return on equity of 19.23%. The business had revenue of $113.16 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $113.19 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $7.15 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 12.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 EPS for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 8th were issued a dividend of $2.21 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 8th. This represents a $8.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.6%. UnitedHealth Group’s payout ratio is presently 46.14%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UNH has been the topic of several recent research reports. Barclays raised their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $386.00 to $391.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $310.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 9th. Evercore ISI upgraded shares of UnitedHealth Group to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Mizuho upped their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $300.00 to $430.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 9th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $286.00 to $408.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, UnitedHealth Group currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $385.75.

About UnitedHealth Group

UnitedHealth Group Inc is a diversified health care company headquartered in Minnetonka, Minnesota, that operates two primary business platforms: UnitedHealthcare and Optum. Founded in 1977, the company provides a broad range of health benefits and health care services to individuals, employers, governmental entities and other organizations. Its operations span commercial employer-sponsored plans, individual and Medicare and Medicaid programs, and services for customers and health systems in the United States and selected international markets.

UnitedHealthcare is the company’s benefits business, administering health plans and networks, managing provider relationships, and offering coverage products for employers, individuals, and government-sponsored programs.