Smithfield Trust Co Sells 1,118 Shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)

Smithfield Trust Co reduced its stake in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 17.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,382 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after selling 1,118 shares during the period. Smithfield Trust Co's holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $2,737,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. NewSquare Capital LLC bought a new stake in UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. AlphaMark Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new position in UnitedHealth Group during the 3rd quarter worth about $37,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in UnitedHealth Group in the 3rd quarter valued at about $57,000. Finally, DecisionPoint Financial LLC lifted its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 155.0% during the fourth quarter. DecisionPoint Financial LLC now owns 102 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.86% of the company's stock.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Up 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE:UNH traded up $1.61 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $476.22. 3,636,081 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,991,972. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $514.58 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $554.81. The firm has a market cap of $438.25 billion, a PE ratio of 30.72, a P/E/G ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $436.38 and a fifty-two week 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, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $6.74 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $100.81 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $101.60 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 26.69% and a net margin of 3.60%. UnitedHealth Group's quarterly revenue was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $5.83 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 earnings per share for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 18th. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th will be given a $2.10 dividend. This represents a $8.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.76%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. UnitedHealth Group's dividend payout ratio is currently 54.19%.

Insider Activity at UnitedHealth Group

In other news, Director Timothy Patrick Flynn purchased 1,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on 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 in the company, valued at $2,302,065. The trade was a 28.57 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.33% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have commented on UNH. KeyCorp reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $650.00 price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Hsbc Global Res raised UnitedHealth Group from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 10th. Oppenheimer lifted their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $610.00 to $640.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, December 6th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $700.00 price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Truist Financial cut their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $625.00 to $610.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 6th. 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 company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, UnitedHealth Group has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average 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.