Sterling Investment Counsel LLC Sells 1,953 Shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)

Sterling Investment Counsel LLC lowered its holdings in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 52.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,755 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after selling 1,953 shares during the quarter. Sterling Investment Counsel LLC's holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $888,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UNH. YHB Investment Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. YHB Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 31,002 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $15,683,000 after acquiring an additional 178 shares during the last quarter. Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO raised its position in UnitedHealth Group by 2.1% in the 4th quarter. Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO now owns 7,433 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $3,760,000 after purchasing an additional 153 shares during the last quarter. Buffington Mohr McNeal grew its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. Buffington Mohr McNeal now owns 1,804 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $913,000 after purchasing an additional 23 shares during the last quarter. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its position in UnitedHealth Group by 4.9% during the 4th quarter. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 689 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $349,000 after buying an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. Finally, BankPlus Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in UnitedHealth Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $201,000. 87.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Down 0.6 %

UNH stock traded down $3.29 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $542.28. 1,722,292 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,438,625. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 0.83 and a quick ratio of 0.91. The company has a market cap of $499.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.98, a PEG ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 0.62. The firm's 50-day moving average is $537.14 and its 200-day moving average is $564.96. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 12 month low of $436.38 and a 12 month high of $630.73.

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. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 3.60% and a return on equity of 26.69%. The company had revenue of $100.81 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $101.60 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $5.83 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts expect that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.64 earnings per share for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. KeyCorp reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $650.00 price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Friday, January 17th. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $615.00 to $610.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Stephens boosted their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $605.00 to $675.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $700.00 price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. One equities research 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 company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $629.32.

Insider Activity

In other UnitedHealth Group news, Director Timothy Patrick Flynn purchased 1,000 shares of UnitedHealth Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 17th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $511.57 per share, for a total transaction of $511,570.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 4,500 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,302,065. This trade represents a 28.57 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.33% of the company's stock.

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.