Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. Reduces Position in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)

Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. cut its position in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 6.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 36,115 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after selling 2,641 shares during the period. UnitedHealth Group makes up about 0.7% of Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 27th largest holding. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd.'s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $18,269,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in UNH. Howard Capital Management Group LLC purchased a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the third quarter worth about $341,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its position in UnitedHealth Group by 11.3% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,778,636 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $1,039,933,000 after acquiring an additional 180,479 shares during the period. Algert Global LLC bought a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the 3rd quarter valued at $1,763,000. Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 3.5% in the 3rd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 3,197,167 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $1,869,320,000 after purchasing an additional 107,097 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of Hawaii grew its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 108.0% during the third quarter. Bank of Hawaii now owns 4,263 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $2,492,000 after purchasing an additional 2,213 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 87.86% of the company's stock.

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Insider Activity

In related news, Director Timothy Patrick Flynn bought 1,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, January 17th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $511.57 per share, with a total value of $511,570.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 4,500 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,302,065. The trade was a 28.57 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.33% of the company's stock.

UnitedHealth Group Trading Up 0.4 %

Shares of UNH stock traded up $1.90 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $517.62. 1,266,258 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,262,963. The company has a current ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74. The firm has a market capitalization of $473.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 0.62. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 12-month low of $436.38 and a 12-month high of $630.73. The company's 50-day moving average price is $508.70 and its 200-day moving average price is $545.16.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 16th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $6.74 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $100.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $101.60 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 26.69% and a net margin of 3.60%. UnitedHealth Group's revenue was up 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $5.83 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 earnings per share for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 18th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th were given a dividend of $2.10 per share. This represents a $8.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.62%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 10th. UnitedHealth Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 54.19%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on UNH. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $700.00 price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Friday, January 17th. HSBC raised shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $595.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Hsbc Global Res upgraded UnitedHealth Group from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 10th. StockNews.com raised UnitedHealth Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, KeyCorp restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $650.00 price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Twenty research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, UnitedHealth Group presently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $629.32.

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.