Howard Bailey Securities LLC Sells 128 Shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)

Howard Bailey Securities LLC cut its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 9.3% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,253 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after selling 128 shares during the quarter. Howard Bailey Securities LLC’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $656,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank bought a new stake in UnitedHealth Group in the 4th quarter worth about $6,375,744,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 56,142.1% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 8,295,153 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $4,344,586,000 after purchasing an additional 8,280,404 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in UnitedHealth Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,914,740,000. Amundi boosted its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 97.2% in the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 6,069,100 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $3,183,132,000 after buying an additional 2,991,470 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its position in UnitedHealth Group by 36.6% during the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 8,592,718 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $4,346,712,000 after acquiring an additional 2,301,010 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.86% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at UnitedHealth Group

In related news, CFO John F. Rex acquired 17,175 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 16th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $291.12 per share, for a total transaction of $4,999,986.00. Following the purchase, the chief financial officer now directly owns 203,796 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $59,329,091.52. This trade represents a 9.20% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Kristen Gil purchased 3,700 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 15th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $271.17 per share, for a total transaction of $1,003,329.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 3,818 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,035,327.06. This represents a 3,135.59% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders acquired 109,408 shares of company stock worth $31,607,768 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:UNH opened at $313.39 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 52 week low of $248.88 and a 52 week high of $630.73. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $386.66 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $472.32. The stock has a market capitalization of $284.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.22, a PEG ratio of 1.37 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 (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $7.29 by ($0.09). UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 3.60% and a return on equity of 26.69%. The company had revenue of $109.58 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $111.56 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $6.91 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 24th. Investors of record on Monday, June 16th will be given a $2.21 dividend. This is a positive change from UnitedHealth Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.10. This represents a $8.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.82%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 16th. UnitedHealth Group’s dividend payout ratio is 37.02%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Truist Financial reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $360.00 price objective (down previously from $580.00) on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Monday, May 19th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $525.00 to $355.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Friday, June 6th. Wall Street Zen cut UnitedHealth Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 24th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $563.00 to $374.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $426.52.

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.