Arvest Bank Trust Division Purchases Shares of 1,973 UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)

Arvest Bank Trust Division bought a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 1,973 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock, valued at approximately $1,154,000.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Kathleen S. Wright Associates Inc. bought a new stake in UnitedHealth Group in the third quarter valued at $27,000. Macroview Investment Management LLC raised its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 671.4% in the second quarter. Macroview Investment Management LLC now owns 54 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates boosted its position in UnitedHealth Group by 152.4% during the 3rd quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates now owns 53 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. Signature Resources Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 40.0% during the second quarter. Signature Resources Capital Management LLC now owns 63 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares in the last quarter. Finally, West Financial Advisors LLC bought a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the third quarter worth $32,000. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $595.00 to $625.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. StockNews.com raised shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday. HSBC cut UnitedHealth Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $615.00 to $595.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $603.00 to $655.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $626.84.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Down 3.3 %

Shares of NYSE:UNH traded down $17.80 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $515.73. The stock had a trading volume of 9,397,713 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,967,591. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 0.91. The firm's 50 day moving average is $584.83 and its 200-day moving average is $559.60. The stock has a market capitalization of $474.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.45, a P/E/G ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.58. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 1 year low of $436.38 and a 1 year high of $630.73.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 15th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $7.15 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $7.00 by $0.15. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 3.63% and a return on equity of 26.37%. The firm had revenue of $100.82 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $99.14 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $6.56 EPS. UnitedHealth Group's quarterly revenue was up 9.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 27.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 9th will be given a dividend of $2.10 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 9th. This represents a $8.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.63%. UnitedHealth Group's payout ratio is currently 54.72%.

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.