UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) Shares Bought by Sanders Capital LLC

Sanders Capital LLC raised its stake in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 1.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 5,258,593 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after buying an additional 61,991 shares during the quarter. UnitedHealth Group comprises approximately 3.9% of Sanders Capital LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 8th biggest holding. Sanders Capital LLC owned 0.57% of UnitedHealth Group worth $2,660,112,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in UnitedHealth Group by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 19,956,219 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $10,068,869,000 after buying an additional 319,515 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in UnitedHealth Group during the fourth quarter worth $6,375,744,000. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 10.7% in 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 buying an additional 861,854 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 7,931,478 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $4,012,218,000 after acquiring an additional 36,394 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in UnitedHealth Group by 3.0% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 6,223,331 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $3,148,134,000 after purchasing an additional 182,361 shares during the last quarter. 87.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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UnitedHealth Group Stock Down 0.6 %

NYSE:UNH traded down $3.63 on Tuesday, hitting $583.43. The stock had a trading volume of 3,865,335 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,340,640. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74. The business's fifty day moving average is $514.87 and its 200 day moving average is $542.12. The company has a market cap of $533.67 billion, a PE ratio of 37.64, a P/E/G ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 0.61. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 52 week low of $438.50 and a 52 week high of $630.73.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last announced 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 return on equity of 26.69% and a net margin of 3.60%. The firm had revenue of $100.81 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $101.60 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $5.83 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts expect that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 EPS for the current fiscal 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 given a dividend of $2.10 per share. This represents a $8.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.44%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 10th. UnitedHealth Group's payout ratio is currently 54.19%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Timothy Patrick Flynn acquired 1,000 shares of UnitedHealth Group stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 17th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $511.57 per share, for a total transaction of $511,570.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 4,500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,302,065. This represents a 28.57 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.33% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently issued reports on UNH. Truist Financial raised their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $610.00 to $660.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $694.00 to $660.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $655.00 to $642.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 17th. StockNews.com upgraded UnitedHealth Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Piper Sandler cut their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $605.00 to $600.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. Twenty-one analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, UnitedHealth Group presently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $632.85.

About UnitedHealth Group

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.