Pinnacle Holdings LLC Reduces Position in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)

Pinnacle Holdings LLC decreased its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 6.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 8,954 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after selling 570 shares during the quarter. UnitedHealth Group makes up about 1.7% of Pinnacle Holdings LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 8th biggest holding. Pinnacle Holdings LLC's holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $4,529,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in UnitedHealth Group in the fourth quarter valued at $6,375,744,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in UnitedHealth Group during the fourth quarter worth about $1,914,740,000. Amundi raised its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 97.2% in the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 6,069,100 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $3,183,132,000 after buying an additional 2,991,470 shares during the period. Proficio Capital Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 76,830.4% during the 4th quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,888,641 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $955,388,000 after acquiring an additional 1,886,186 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 10.7% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 8,923,770 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $4,514,178,000 after purchasing an additional 861,854 shares during the last quarter. 87.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

UnitedHealth Group Trading Up 0.8 %

Shares of NYSE:UNH traded up $4.70 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $599.10. 6,117,814 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,344,668. The business's 50-day moving average price is $512.87 and its 200 day moving average price is $541.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 0.83. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 12 month low of $438.50 and a 12 month high of $630.73. The stock has a market capitalization of $548.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.65, a P/E/G ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 0.61.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 16th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.81 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $6.74 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $100.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $101.60 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 3.60% and a return on equity of 26.69%. 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 earnings per share. Analysts predict that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 earnings per share for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 18th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th were issued a dividend of $2.10 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 10th. This represents a $8.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.40%. UnitedHealth Group's payout ratio is currently 54.19%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Timothy Patrick Flynn bought 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 17th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $511.57 per share, with a total value of $511,570.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 4,500 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,302,065. This represents a 28.57 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.33% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Barclays cut their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $655.00 to $642.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Piper Sandler reduced their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $605.00 to $600.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. Hsbc Global Res raised UnitedHealth Group from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 10th. HSBC raised UnitedHealth Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $595.00 target price on the stock in a report on Friday, January 10th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Twenty-one equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, UnitedHealth Group currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $632.85.

UnitedHealth Group 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.