Meritage Group LP Buys 270,755 Shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)

Meritage Group LP lifted its position in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 902.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 300,755 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after purchasing an additional 270,755 shares during the quarter. UnitedHealth Group accounts for approximately 3.6% of Meritage Group LP's holdings, making the stock its 14th biggest holding. Meritage Group LP's holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $152,140,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. MetLife Investment Management LLC lifted its position in UnitedHealth Group by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 246,336 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $124,612,000 after buying an additional 3,432 shares in the last quarter. Norinchukin Bank The increased its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 6.3% in the fourth quarter. Norinchukin Bank The now owns 52,375 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $26,494,000 after purchasing an additional 3,101 shares in the last quarter. Ossiam lifted its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 29,656.3% during the 4th quarter. Ossiam now owns 21,127 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $10,687,000 after buying an additional 21,056 shares in the last quarter. Beck Mack & Oliver LLC increased its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 5.8% in the 4th quarter. Beck Mack & Oliver LLC now owns 2,121 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $1,073,000 after buying an additional 116 shares during the period. Finally, Capital International Inc. CA boosted its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 16.9% in the fourth quarter. Capital International Inc. CA now owns 217,019 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $109,781,000 after acquiring an additional 31,366 shares during the last quarter. 87.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UNH has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. StockNews.com raised shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. KeyCorp cut their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $650.00 to $575.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. Argus downgraded shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday. Mizuho upped their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $600.00 to $650.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, Truist Financial lowered their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $660.00 to $580.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Monday. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have assigned a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, UnitedHealth Group currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $603.05.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Performance

NYSE:UNH traded down $2.86 on Thursday, hitting $425.10. The company's stock had a trading volume of 3,642,925 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,627,220. 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 $388.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 0.61. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a one year low of $417.12 and a one year high of $630.73. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $506.92 and a two-hundred day moving average of $537.23.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 17th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $7.20 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $7.29 by ($0.09). The company had revenue of $109.58 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $111.56 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 3.60% and a return on equity of 26.69%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $6.91 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 earnings per share for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 18th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th were issued a $2.10 dividend. This represents a $8.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.98%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 10th. UnitedHealth Group's dividend payout ratio is 35.18%.

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.