Country Trust Bank Acquires 105,299 Shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)

Country Trust Bank lifted its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 23,347.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 105,750 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after purchasing an additional 105,299 shares during the period. UnitedHealth Group accounts for about 1.3% of Country Trust Bank's portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest position. Country Trust Bank's holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $53,495,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UNH. Kathleen S. Wright Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in UnitedHealth Group in the 3rd quarter valued at $27,000. AlphaMark Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates boosted its stake 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 purchasing an additional 32 shares during the last quarter. West Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the third quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, Quarry LP boosted its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 132.1% during the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 65 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. 87.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

UnitedHealth Group Trading Down 0.6 %

NYSE:UNH traded down $3.27 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $542.30. The company had a trading volume of 4,120,450 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,544,639. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $537.14 and a 200 day moving average price of $564.96. The company has a market capitalization of $499.07 billion, a PE ratio of 34.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 0.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 0.83 and a quick ratio of 0.91. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 52 week low of $436.38 and a 52 week high of $630.73.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 16th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.81 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $6.74 by $0.07. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 26.69% and a net margin of 3.60%. The firm had revenue of $100.81 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $101.60 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $5.83 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 17th. Investors of record on Monday, December 9th were given a dividend of $2.10 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 9th. This represents a $8.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.55%. UnitedHealth Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 54.19%.

Insider Activity at UnitedHealth Group

In other UnitedHealth Group news, Director Timothy Patrick Flynn purchased 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 17th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $511.57 per share, for a total transaction of $511,570.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 4,500 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,302,065. This trade represents a 28.57 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.33% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. TD Cowen upped their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $601.00 to $609.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, October 18th. UBS Group reduced their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $680.00 to $650.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $655.00 to $642.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Truist Financial reduced their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $625.00 to $610.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Bank of America cut their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $675.00 to $650.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, UnitedHealth Group presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $629.32.

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.